Fame, Love, and Motherhood
by Ash-Castle
Summary: After a shocking article in the Daily Prophet, Hermione is once again forced into the lime light. She begins to rediscover herself with the help of her favorite twins. She wants to fall in love, but is it really the best thing? Follow along as she deals with reporters, crazy ex's and her mother-in-law. FW/HG/GW Rated for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Hermione sighed and closed the Daily Prophet. After looking at the front page picture again, she flipped it over. Head in her hands, she thought about the chaos that was going to break loose, all thanks to this article.

"Damn her." She whispered into her coffee cup. After she woke up to an empty bed and her name on the front page, she knew tea wasn't going to cut it. It wasn't that she was really even mad, just…disappointed. They were so close, and he blew it on one night of frivolity. Sadly, if they hadn't been war heroes, their actions wouldn't even be worth mentioning. Thanks to Harry and his sense of honor, they were each mentioned in multiple books and even had their own biographies. He wanted to make sure the wizarding world knew exactly how much his friends had helped him. Something she could do without at a moment like this. Head still in her hands, she looked up when she heard a loud crack from the living room. He was home.

"Hermione, I…I'm so, so sorry." Her husband said, before falling to the floor.

"Oh Ron." She ran to him, he looked like he'd been fighting an angry mob. "Come on, let's go to the kitchen and clean you up." His shirt was almost ripped off his long frame, only held together by a few buttons, his jeans had scrapes in the knees, and he was sporting a black eye. "What happened after you left? Who attacked you?" Right then, another owl tapped on the window. One she had seen so many times. Leaving Ron to remove his shirt, she opened the window. After removing the letter, the owl took off again. She recognized Harry's untidy scrawl. Unrolling the parchment she read:

'Mione,

I swear I didn't know. I'm going to talk to him.

Love Harry

She turned back to Ron, "Did he talk to you yet?" She grabbed her wand from the table and advanced on him, summoning a bruise cream Fred and George kept her stocked with.

Ron gestured to his eye, "If you call this talking, then yes, Harry talked to me." He sat patiently while she applied the cream.

Sitting back Hermione asked, "Did he do this to your clothes too?" She summoned him a new shirt and poured him a cup of coffee, adding a little cream before giving it to him.

"Thanks 'Mione. No, those would be your adoring fans who caught me trying to leave." They sat in silence for some time. Neither quite sure what to say. Ron broke the silence first. "I really am sorry. I don't know what I was thinking." When Hermione didn't answer he continued, "Are you mad at me?" He wouldn't meet her eyes, waiting for her answer.

She sighed again, "No, not really. Just, we have to tell everyone now. I mean, we were always going too, but now…" she trailed off. "We have to owl the kids you know. I'm sure one of the older students has mentioned it by now."

Ron paled at the thought of writing their children. "They're going to hate me." It was Ron's turn to groan and put his head in his hands.

"No, they won't. I'm sure they aren't happy with us right now, but they won't hate you." She rubbed his back for a minute before speaking again. "Why last night? I mean, I thought we both agreed to wait until the bond had completely dissolved and we had told everyone."

Ron peeked at her from between his hands. "Honestly, I don't know. I had just planned to go out with a few guys from work. Harry didn't come, he wanted to get home to Ginny." He smiled as he said it. "Mentioned how nice it is to have the house to themselves. Next thing I knew she was all over me, and we apparated to her flat. I guess, I was just feeling lonely." He stopped looking at her. She felt her anger rising at his selfish thoughts.

"You don't think I'm lonely too Ron!? But it's not my picture on the front of the Prophet!" She picked it up and threw it at his chest. He caught it before it slid into his lap. "However, it is my _name _all over the page!" She stopped at he looked at the article confused. "Have you read it yet?"

"I haven't had time. After my picture was taken, I tried to leave but as you can see," He gestured to his picture, which was trying to escape the frame. Every time it came close to the edge he was pushed back by reporters and a growing mob. "I had a rather hard time getting here. I hid out at the Leaky until this morning. Harry caught me right as I was leaving. After he hit me, I apparated here."

Hermione got up and put a kettle on for tea, and found some parchment and a quill to write a few letters. "Well, you better read it now then" She wrote a quick message to Ginny and Harry asking them to come over later, then started to write letters to her son and daughter. Ron watched her for a minute before looking at the paper in his hands.

GRYFFINDOR PRINCESS TOO COLD BETWEEN THE SHEETS?

Late last night war hero Ronald Weasley was seen leaving the house of fashion consultant Lavender Brown. Why leave his bed when he has the, once lovely, Hermione Granger warming it? This reporter has heard that she is hardly welcoming to her poor husband. "He practically had to beg her let him sleep in her bed." Trusted sources say. "It's no wonder he finally looked elsewhere. He deserves better than what he gets at home." Hearing this shocking news, I turned to others who knew the couple. "She isn't even really pretty. It's all charms and potions." Another source confided. As we all remember, this wouldn't be the first time Ms. Granger has turned to potions and charms to get her way. In her fourth year she was accused of using a love potion not only on former Quidditch star Viktor Krum, but also on our Victor and Golden Boy Harry Potter. One can only hope that now their marriage bond is broken Ronald will be able to find the comfort he deserves.

Rita Skeeter

Ron's face had steadily gotten redder as he read the article. "That cow!" He exploded. "How could she do this to me? As if I really had to beg you to let me in bed."

Hermione controlled her voice with difficulty. After all this time, he still saw himself first. He honestly couldn't see how damaging this was to her. He was made out to be the lonely hero, and she looked like a frigid bitch. Instead of saying what she was thinking she commented, "You would think after 22 years she wouldn't hold a grudge anymore."

Ron gave her a small smile, "Well, you did trap her in a jar for weeks and blackmail her."

Hermione smiled for the first time that morning. "It was only two weeks, and she wasn't out of work for more than a year." She pushed some parchment and a quill to him. "Better write to Rose and Hugo. I already asked Harry and Ginny over tonight so we can explain." He stared at the blank parchment for a moment, then started to write.


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you sure I should be here when you tell them? Maybe I should just kip over to my new flat." Ron was shifting nervously. He couldn't keep still and it was driving Hermione crazy.

"For an Auror, you sure are chicken to face your friend and sister." She teased. She was nervous too. Mostly about how Ginny would take the news. She had been so happy for them to finally be real sisters. As Hermione's best mate and sister, she wouldn't be happy to find she had been left out of the loop.

"It's different when he's fighting on your side. You've seen him in action. He can be right scary, I want to walk out of here the same way I walked in. Ginny's no delicate flower either." He shuddered. "Yeah, I think I will leave. You can do this right?" The note of pleading in his voice set her on edge. She was stressed out about this too, but she wasn't hiding.

"Grow up Ron. I'll be here to protect you if it comes to that. I'm sure we can get them to see reason before they attack." She said the last statement more out of hope than experience. She knew Harry, he was action first, questions later. She was hoping his attack on Ron this morning would have him calm enough to let her explain before he did something he couldn't forgive himself for. Like hexing Ron into next year. "Has anyone figured out where your new flat is?"

"Not yet. Your wards are holding, and I've been apparating directly in like you told me." After spending the rest of the day gathering and moving his stuff to his new flat, she had been worried he might slip and someone would see him at his new place. There were already reporters surrounding their family home. Shortly after Ron made it home, they started arriving. Trying to question them and take pictures of the unhappy couple. She had finally had enough when one desperate reporter started throwing rocks at the front window trying to get a rise out of them. She had finally pushed them all back with a sweep of her wand and set up wards so that the only people who could get in were those she let. While no one could see or hear them now, everyone still knew the house was there, and they were just waiting for one slip up.

The fire in the living room turned green. "Here we go." Ron mumbled as Harry's boots hit the floor. The scowl on his face as he unfolded from the fireplace wasn't promising. Before he could say anything, the fire turned green again, he turned to help his wife out of the fire. After seeing their faces, Hermione almost felt bad she didn't let Ron hide out in his flat for a bit. She knew it would be better if they both explained though. In an attempt to hold off their anger, and to keep Ron looking like a normal human, she rushed forward to hug them both.

"Harry, Ginny! Thank you so much for coming!" She hugged Harry first. The surprise on his face at her cheerful tone almost made her laugh. Almost. Ginny was still scowling at Ron, but hugged Hermione tight to her. They stood there, starting at Ron, for a long moment. With Ginny still holding her, she broke the silent stare down. "Why don't we all go sit in the kitchen and have a cup of tea?" She gently tried to pull away, but Ginny held her fast.

"You complete arse Ronald Weasley! How could you do this to 'Mione!? Are you really still as stupid as you look?" Ginny's hand was moving to her wand. Hermione grabbed her arm, turned out of her grasp, and grabbed Harry's arm with her other hand. Lowering his wand away from Ron. To his credit, Ron hadn't run when two wands were trained on him. Ginny looked at her. "Let go of me Hermione. You know he deserves this. Why are you defending him?"

"Let's just go to the kitchen and sit down. We will explain it all, I promise." She let go of them, but Harry still had his wand out. Not pointed at Ron, but she knew how fast he was, and didn't fully trust he was calm enough to control himself. "For heaven's sake Harry! Put your wand away! Don't you trust me? If I was truly upset with him, do you think he would be standing here?" She could see her words register, and he put his wand away.

"Okay 'Mione. You're right. I trust you." He pulled her to his side in a one armed hug. "Lead the way." She pulled away and they all followed her into the kitchen, Ron bringing up the rear. Once they were all seated though, she found she didn't know where to start. The worry that they would stop talking to her clogged her throat. It was Harry who broke the silence. "So, since Ron is still standing, and not a slug, maybe you can tell us why you aren't mad at him for cheating and breaking your bond?"

She had to clear her throat a couple times to make it work. "Well, you see... we were already breaking the bond before last night." She said in a rush. At her friend's incredulous faces, she hurried to explain. "You know the bond has two parts. The physical and the emotional. Well, we noticed after a few years, our emotional bond wasn't getting any stronger. It seemed to be in stasis. We were okay with this. Then 5 years ago, we realized our emotional bond was weakening. Nothing drastic, but over time it was becoming more pronounced, until last year, when it became non-existent." She took a deep breath before continuing. "By that time, we already had Rose and Hugo. The physical bond was still there, because we were still sharing a bed." Here she blushed. Even though the emotional bond had vanished, they had tried to make it come back by escaping into the physical side of their bond, many times. "Finally we couldn't do it anymore. We decided to break off all physical activity until that part of the bond broke too. Our year was almost up, then last night happened, and, well, now the bond is well and truly broken." She looked back at her friends, her family, and begged them with her eyes to understand why they did this. To not hate her.

In her blunt manner that Hermione both loved and hated, Ginny said, "You mean you haven't had sex in almost a year?!"

**A/N**

**This is a quick note to say thank you to those who are already reading this story. I truly was surprised to see people interested. I hope I don't disappoint. Also, I won't beg for reviews, but if you want to drop a line, I would appreciate it. If you can't tell already, I'm American. I'm basing a lot of this off what I've read in the books, so if I mess something up, bear with me please. Lastly, I'm an impatient person. If I have an idea, I'm going to write and post it. So there will more than likely be more than one chapter posted often. However, I do have responsibilities, so if I go more than a day without posting, please forgive me. I will update as soon as I can. **

**Thank you all again! **


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione tried not to laugh, she really did. There was nothing funny about this situation. Trust Ginny to bring up her lack of sex life. She knew, thanks to her sister-in-law, more about Harry than she ever wanted to know. "Oh, Ginny! I needed that." She managed to get out between giggles. "No, we haven't had sex in almost a year. At least I haven't." She looked at Ron, his head was down. She could almost feel his guilt. "Nor do I really blame Ron for breaking the bond early. We originally wanted it to dissolve on its own so we could control what information people found out. I'm sorry we kept this from you. We just… I just, wanted to keep it a secret until we knew for sure the bond was gone."

Harry was still watching Ron out of the corner of his eye, but his face was turned towards her, and she could see he was frowning. She waited him out. She knew him better than Ron even. He just needed time to get his thoughts organized. "I won't say I'm okay with you not telling us. I'm not. I understand, better than anyone, not wanting a secret to get out. You asked me to trust you, I wish you had trusted me." He finally looked at her and the betrayal in his eyes had her almost in tears.

Ginny spoke next, "Do the kids know? How have you been hiding Ron not sleeping with you?"

"Well, uh, we have been sleeping in the same bed. We planned to tell the kids over break." Ron still hadn't said anything. Leaving Hermione to do all the talking.

"I'm with Harry here guys. You should have told _us_ at least. Then we wouldn't be over here thinking Ron is the world's biggest git." She stared at Hermione, "I think we need to have a girl talk. Harry, you should apologize to Ron for hitting him." Ginny got up and started to walk towards the bedroom, Hermione followed after, leaving the boys to hopefully make up. Once they made it to the room, Hermione closed the door, then put up a silencing charm just in case. She wasn't positive what Ginny wanted to talk about, but decided privacy was probably needed.

Ginny was sitting cross legged on the bed, waiting for Hermione to join her. Taking a fortifying breath, Hermione crawled onto the bed and sat across from her best mate and sister. Hermione couldn't meet her eyes right away. She didn't know how long she sat there before Ginny spoke up, "So are you going to sit there with your head down, or face me and tell me what's going on like the Gryffindor princess you are supposed to be?" That got the reaction Ginny was looking for.

Hermione looked up, she hated that nickname, but was smart enough to accept that it wasn't going anywhere. Ron was the only one who got away without _some_ type of nickname. "Gin, you know I love you. I didn't want you to be mad at me. I mean, this is your brother, and you were so happy that we were officially family. I… I was scared. I admit it." She finally broke down. Harry's betrayed look and thoughts of how her children would react flashed through her mind. Once one tear fell, it was like the flood gates opened. It had been such a _long_ day. She couldn't hold it anymore.

Ginny rose to her knees and engulfed Hermione in a hug. She held her until Hermione collected herself. "It's okay 'Mione. You shouldn't have had to go through this alone. You should know I wouldn't turn from you. You've been my best mate since second year and my sister for just as long. Silly woman. I thought you were supposed to be the brightest witch of our age?" Hermione gave a wet chuckle at that. Ginny finally let her go. "Look, I'm still not happy you didn't tell me you and Ron were having bond problems, but I'm not mad at you personally." Hermione looked towards the door. Ginny understood what she was thinking, "Harry isn't really mad at you either. He will come around. I think he's just confused and hurt that you didn't confide in him. He and Ron may be best mates, but he has always seen you as a sister. He thinks you should tell him everything."

"Thanks Gin. I really am sorry you know? I'm not sure what to do now." Hermione sighed and looked back at Ginny.

"Have you told Rose and Hugo yet?"

"We each wrote them. We haven't heard back yet. Then again, it's not like we can really explain this in a letter. I might write to McGonagall and see if we can come visit them next weekend."

"That isn't the worst idea you've had." Ginny said with a smile.

"Do you think I should write to James, Albus, and Lily or let Rose and Hugo tell them?" Hermione knew the kids were close. They practically lived together during the holidays. She knew this would be hardest on them.

"Let Rose tell them. You know those five are thick as thieves. Rose will shout, James will jinx anyone who says anything bad about them, Lily will play peace keeper, and Albus and Hugo will try and keep everyone calm. They will be fine." Hermione hugged Ginny again, trying to put all her appreciation and love into it. "Come on, let's go see if the boys have kissed and made up." Ginny bounced out of the bed. Nothing could keep the red head down for long.

When they entered the kitchen the guys stopped talking. Harry still didn't look happy, but they weren't fighting either. "So Ron are you staying here still or what?" Ginny asked.

"I have my own flat. My stuff is already moved, so I will be staying there." He gave them his new address so they could find him. They all moved to the living room as Harry and Ginny prepared to floo home. Ginny turned and gave her one last hug before throwing a handful of green powder in the fireplace and heading home. It was just Harry, Ron, and Hermione now. The Golden Trio. They had been through so much together already. Hermione knew this was just another bump in the road. "Um, why don't I just go back to the kitchen for a minute" Ron said and practically ran out, leaving Hermione and Harry alone.

"Harry…" Even she heard the plea in her voice.

"Don't Hermione. Just don't." And he walked towards her. She thought he was going to walk passed and leave. She let out a squeak of surprise when he grabbed her in a hug so hard her feet came off the ground. "You should have told me. I don't want you to go through this alone. If you need me, let me know. Okay?" He pulled back enough to look at her. She freed her arms and hugged him back.

"Of course. Thank you." She choked out. Tears threatened to fall again, but she held them back. He let her go, and after one more long look, floo'd home.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a week. A week of being alone. Reporters were still buzzing around, and she had been suspended from work. Her children still hadn't written back. She had gone to the castle with Ron earlier that day and they refused to come see them. She wouldn't force them to see her. She just hoped they could forgive her in time. After a disastrous attempt by some goon with a camera to get in her house using one of the floo channels she still had open, she cut off all traffic. Now no one could get in unless she let them.

This is what she was reduced to, laying in her bed, in a dark house, moping. She knew she was moping. Knew it wasn't productive. Yet she couldn't seem to break out of the funk. She hadn't felt this alone since she was 11. It wasn't like everyone hated her. Well, most people didn't hate her. She had gotten more owls in the first few days after the article than she could remember getting. She had stopped opening them after finding one that contained a curse. One of Ron's fans apparently.

She thought it was funny how you could be so used to sleeping next to someone, and not even realize it until they were gone. It wasn't like she missed Ron exactly, just a warm body. Her body was conditioned to it after so many years. So when she woke up feeling better than she had all week, she didn't understand why at first. Instead she kept her eyes closed and stretched her whole body, arching so her back came off the bed. With eyes still closed, she rolled onto her side, arm reaching for the body pillow she had been cuddling with. Instead of the plush softness she associated with her pillow, she felt something hard and warm.

Her eyes snapped open, and she reached for the wand she still slept with under her pillow. Brown eyes met blue. "Morning Mione."

"AHHH!" Hermione yelled as she push away from whoever was in front of her, pulling her wand out at the same time. _Petrificus Totalus!_ She thought with a jab of her wand, binding the person in front of her. She backed right into another body, whose arms immediately went around her, trapping her. She fought like a wild cat. Kicking and thrashing about, trying to escape. Her wand was still in her hand and without really thinking about it, she cast a stinging hex into her captor's hands forcing him to let her go.

"Whoa Hermione! Calm down! It's just us!" She turned around to see George holding up swollen hands in a gesture of good will.

"George!" She turned to the frozen body that had fallen to the floor when she was kicking. "Fred? What are you two doing here? How did you get in?" With another wave of her wand she released Fred from her curse. Feeling sheepish for her freak out, she apologized. "Sorry about that guys. I, uh, I don't do well with surprises." Fred was slowly getting up off the floor. Both men were eyeing her wand, still in her hand, though now down at her side. "Maybe we should move to the kitchen?"

"Yeah, that seems like a good idea." Fred said. George was still eyeing her wand and holding his hands out in front of him. Fred grabbed his arm. "Come on Gred. Let's go get some ice for your hands."

"I'll be out in a minute, I just want to put on some normal clothes." Hermione called after them. She did feel bad for hurting George and binding Fred. But really, they should have known better than to scare her like that. Once they left she closed the door and went to her closet. She had been wearing sweats and big shirts all week, but now with the twins here, she thought maybe she would break out the jeans. One look at herself in the full length mirror on her closet door had her changing direction to the in suite shower. They could wait. She looked like the lost cousin of Medusa, and nothing but a shower would tame her wild curls. Brushing her teeth wouldn't be a bad idea either.

After a good half hour, she was finally ready to face them. She didn't think they would have left while she was getting ready. When she turned to walk in the kitchen, she stopped in the doorway. They had made themselves right at home. Making a pot of coffee and reading some of the mail she had left piled up on the table. She just looked at them for a minute. They constantly amazed her. She knew no one could get passed her wards, yet here they were. She was pretty sure they could do anything they wanted, as long as they did it together.

"Are you just going to stare Granger," Said Fred.

"Or come in and tell us why no one has seen you in a week?" Finished George.

She blushed and moved into the kitchen. She wasn't sure why she blushed, it's not like she was being anymore rude than they had been by barging into her house and laying in her bed. "How long were you in my bed?" She asked.

"Not long enough." Fred mumbled.

"Long enough." George said louder, elbowing his brother in the side. She was happy to see the swelling had gone down in his hands. "So why are you locked away in here anyways?" He continued.

"You answer me first. How did you get in here? The wards are supposed to keep everyone out and only let school owls or Rose's owl to come through."

The twins exchanged a glance. To make a ward that was specific to only a few things was pretty impressive. "Well, darling, you did indeed block against all things magical," said Fred

"But you forgot to ward against muggle means of breaking and entering." Said George. Hermione was stumped. Of all the things to forget. She had been in the magical world so long, she had forgotten to ward against something as simple as that.

"I suppose you used a window somewhere?" She turned to see if she could see a window open. "How did you get passed the reporters without being seen?" she knew her wards would detect any form of magical concealment and her door was locked against all things muggle and magical.

"Even though we are generally the center of attention, we do know how to make ourselves hidden in plain site."

She looked at Fred, still confused.

"We used cloaks with deep hoods." George smiled at her. "We were concerned, and mom is going barmy trying to get ahold of you. I thought for sure Ginny would have forced her way in by now, but looks like we beat her to it."

"Quit avoiding the question Mione. What are you doing in here hiding? No one has even seen you at work. It's like you disappeared. If there weren't still wards around this place, we would have thought you left." Fred said this with an accusing look. Like her leaving would personally affect him.

"Well, I've been in here. Just thinking. I didn't mean to freak everyone out."

"Thinking? Really princess? That's the best you can come up with?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N **

**Since I haven't said it yet: I don't own the Potterverse. If I did… well it's probably better I don't****. I know I said I wouldn't ask for reviews, but I am curious on whether people are interested in seeing where this goes? Thank you to everyone who is reading and following! **

She glared at Fred. "I had a lot to think about!"

"Sounds to me like you've been moping" this came from George.

She refused to answer. If she said no, she would sound defensive. The truth was that she had been moping, but they didn't need to know that they were right. Instead she made a cup of tea and studied the twins. She didn't see as much of them as she would like to, but they always popped up if they needed to pick her brain. She had always thought that as they got older, they would start to look different. No such luck. They still looked identical.

"You know, I hoped as you guys got older you would start to look different. But with your hair grown out like that, it's almost impossible to tell the difference."

"Why would you want us to look different?"

"Then you wouldn't have two identical, devilishly handsome men, to grace your morning." They grinned.

"You boys drive me crazy." She shook her head and smiled into her tea cup. "Well, now that you've checked on me, you can go home. I'll reconnect the floo to your flat so you don't have to sneak out again." She said, not even trying to be subtle. She just wanted them to leave. She was afraid if they stayed any longer, she would beg them not to leave. _Where did that come from?_ She thought. Maybe she did need to get out of the house.

"Nice try, but we are here on a mission." Said Fred.

"Well, what is it?"

"First, we had to get you to stop moping-"

"Which we've done" This from George.

"Next, you need to write mum before she completely loses it-"

"Now also done."

"And to tell you mum expects you to be at the Burrow for family dinner tonight." Fred finished.

"Do I have to?" she whined. It slipped out before she could stop it. They both looked at her like she was a new species.

"Since when does our Mione whine?" George asked Fred.

"I don't know, but I'm certainly rethinking the 'ours' part now."

"Oh hush you. I'm not yours. If I agree to write and come to dinner will you leave?" She asked hopefully. She could practically hear her books calling her name.

"Maybe-"

"But probably not." They grinned again.

"Well, better make yourselves at home." She turned away to hide her smile, secretly glad they were staying. Going to one of her many drawers, she pulled out a quill and some parchment. She wrote a quick missive to Molly, telling her she would be over for dinner, then sent it off with her owl Athena. "Come on boys, better follow me to the library. I don't trust you enough to let you wander off alone."

"You wound us Hermione." Fred clutched his hand to his heart with a grimace on his face.

"How could you not trust this face?" George asked, giving her a puppy look. It was meant to be sweet, but the way his lip pouted made her want to lean in and nip it. _Down girl_, she shook her head to clear her thoughts. She did NOT need to be thinking of her ex-husband's brothers in that way.

"If you're on your own you will probably plant a decoy detonator or who knows what. All I need is for something to go off in the middle of the night." She turned and walked away, knowing they would follow. She led them down the hall passed the living room and the study. She paused at the door. This was her favorite part of the house. Her pride and joy. Every time she walked through this doorway, she felt a little shiver of excitement. She opened the door and inhaled the smell of parchment and old books, relaxing more than she had all week.

The twins, who had been watching her hips sway as she walked, looked up when they heard her inhale. They couldn't help the small sounds of surprise they made. Hermione turned back to look at their faces, looking at her beloved library in awe, and felt a little thrill. Ron had never appreciated this room, but she could tell they understood why it was so amazing.

There were windows high up by the rafters, letting in the fall sun. The floors were all wood, and in one corner she had a fireplace with a rug and a few chairs and tables. The fire lit when they walked into the room, instantly making it feel cozier. Most of the room was made up of rows and rows of books. Her shelves stretched high above them, not quite reaching the ceiling. She had a ladder to get them down, but with her fear of heights, rarely used it. The door closed softly behind them.

"So… What do you think?" She asked nervously. They weren't really into books the way she was, but she wanted them to like this room.

"Mione this is-"

"Amazing." They whispered. "I only see one problem." Said George.

"What's that?" She looked around the room curiously. It looked perfect to her.

"You're afraid of heights." Fred pointed out, gesturing to the shelves.

"Ah, that. Well let me show you." Her voice was rising in excitement. This was one of her favorite things she had used her magic to make. She grabbed their hands and led them to a desk in a back corner, practically skipping in her excitement. There were small slips of parchment stacked neatly in little boxes on the desk and a bright blue quill lying in wait. She picked up the quill and grabbed a piece of parchment. "Pick a subject, author, or genre." Her smile was getting wider. Fred and George stared at her, stunned at how beautiful her smile was. It lit up the whole room. Her smile faltered, and George managed to clear his throat.

"Um…murtlap essence." He said, naming a potion ingredient they were working with. She quickly wrote the ingredient out on the parchment, then slid it into a slot they hadn't noticed before. She turned back to them, grabbed their hands again, and looked back at the shelves. After a few seconds of nothing, George spoke again. "Mione, nothing is-"

"Look." She pointed high up on one of the shelves in front of them. There was a book there glowing a bright blue to match the quill. They watched in amazement as more books began to glow. Then, one by one they began to float over to one of the tables in front of the fire. She turned back to them, face glowing. Her excitement was palatable. They both felt answering smiles on their faces. "Do you mind if we stay in here until dinner? I'll make us some lunch later." She waited for their answering nods before turning back to the desk to find her own books.

Fred and George shared a look behind her back. They had always known she deserved the title Brightest Witch of her Age, but knowing and seeing were two different things. The Ministry library didn't have anything like this. Yet this little witch, who was now making her way to a chair, created it, because she wanted to. Ron was crazy to give her up. They both nodded in agreement. They had been attracted to her, but now they realized it was deeper. She was meant to be theirs. It might have taken 20 years for them to realize it, but now… there was no way they were letting her go.

**A/N**

**Just thought I would give you an advance warning that this will have some violence and smut. Hence the M rating. I can't say exactly when it will happen, I just know it will. For now I plan to just let it flow. Thanks again! You all rock! **


	6. Chapter 6

"Merlin!" She cried closing her book. "Will you two knock it off?" Hermione had been ecstatic to see the twins enjoy her library. They couldn't seem to get enough of her quill system, and soon books were floating through the air. The first ten minutes it was funny, the next ten it was still kind of cute, but now, after half an hour, she was done. She just wanted to read. "Find something you want to look at and put the rest back! You can't possibly need all these books."

They both looked at her, curled in her chair, giving them a look that was reminiscent of McGonagall. "Sorry Mione." They said together, moving towards the fire.

"We do need to look at all of these at some point though." George explained.

"We were hoping we could borrow them." Fred offered. They hid their smiles at the look of horror on her face.

"I don't think that's the best idea." She said quickly. She didn't want to hurt their feelings, but she didn't think they would be as careful with her books as she was. She didn't want them to explode or something in the process of one of their experiments. Thinking quickly she said, "Why don't you just come here and look at them? You can take as many notes as you want. I'll even leave the floo connection open between your flat and here."

This was the reaction they had hoped for. "Deal!" They agreed and went to sit down. Pulling a few of the books closer, and sending the rest back to re-shelve themselves. While Hermione could gladly sit for hours, that kind of thing went against Fred and George's nature. It was almost lunch time and they were getting bored. Fred was laying on the floor, making it snow around him. He wondered how much longer Hermione would let him do it. George was still sitting in a chair, charming parchment into paper airplanes and flying them around the room. Hermione ignored them. She was too lost in her book to really pay attention.

"You know what I wonder Gred?" Fred leaned up on his elbow to look at his brother.

"What's that Forge?"

"How does our little Mione-"

"Tell us apart?" George brought the planes down to land beside him.

"Exactly! Even mum gets confused."

"It's not that hard if you're observant." Hermione said, joining the conversation.

Fred sat up before answering. "Mum is observant."

"It's different. She notices the actions you do together. Like when you're planning something. She practically has eyes in the back of her head. To tell you apart you need to look at the small things." Her eyes still glued to her book, she didn't notice the shocked look that passed between the brothers.

"You watched us close enough to tell the difference?" George asked. He didn't think she had really paid any attention to them, unless it was to yell.

She blushed. "Well… not just you. I mean, that's what I do you know? I just… Hey! Are you guys' hungry?" She jumped up and walked to the door. Before she left she turned back, "And Fred, clean up the snow." With that she walked out and went to the kitchen to put some sandwiches together. In school she'd had a crush on Fred and George, but it never went beyond that. They were too different. _You're not that different_. Her inner voice reminded her. _You've broken plenty of rules and been on more adventures than either of them._ Although, on second thought, she wasn't sure she could count hiding around the country and running for her life an adventure. Still, she was a book worm at heart, and they couldn't sit still to save their lives.

_Still, you don't need them to sit still if they are in your bed_. She smiled at the turn of her thoughts. Maybe she needed to follow Ron's example and find a wizard to spend a night with. She snorted as she levitated the lunch trays in front of her. That would be the first time she agreed with something Ron did. When she walked back into the library she noticed the snow was gone, and that Fred and George were hunched over a piece of parchment. She had a brief flashback to 4th year, when they were writing to Ludo Bagman. They looked up when she set the sandwiches down. Fred slid the parchment into his pocket. She hoped they weren't doing anything illegal.

"So how did you get the permits to put an Undetectable Extension Charm on this place? George and I tried for years to get one for the shop." Fred asked looking around.

"Really? I just filled out the paperwork and got the okay within a week." She told them while starting on her sandwich.

"Go figure." George shook his head.

"Maybe we should have Mione fill out our paper work next time."

"You probably didn't get it because you're in a business district. The permits are different." She shrugged and picked up her second sandwich. She had hardly eaten all week and her stomach decided to remind her of that.

"Right, I'm sure the fact that two thirds of the Golden Trio lived in this house had nothing to do with it." Said Fred raising an eyebrow at her.

"Well, it probably helped." She knew everyone wanted to give them special treatment right after the war. She refused to take advantage of it though. "Everyone was really happy to do anything we wanted right after…" She stopped talking. It had happened so long ago, but every once in a while, the fear would come back. Her adrenaline would start pumping and her flight or fight reaction would kick in. Sometimes it was a dream, others it was something small, like a smell. Her eyes went wide as she stared into space. Remembering.

"Mione. Hemione. Hermioine!" Two voices pulled her back. She shook her head to clear it.

"Sorry," She quickly ran through the last thing the talked about. "Yeah, so, many people were happy to help us out. I suppose of all the things we could have asked for, this seemed small."

Fred and George were still looking at her curiously. "Does that happen often?" George asked her, moving closer.

She looked down in embarrassment. Ron and Harry had gotten used to it. After all, they had all gone through the war together. "Not as much anymore." She gave them a small smile. She didn't slip in front of people. She wasn't sure why it happened now, but she wasn't sure it was a good thing. She looked up at one of the windows. "It's getting late. We should head to the Burrow." It was only going on 3, but when Molly said 'be here for dinner' she really meant 'come over this afternoon and stay for dinner'. The twins didn't say anything else about her lapse, they just got up and gestured for her to lead the way.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**

**I don't say it often enough, I don't own any of this. I'm just borrowing them for my own amusement. **

**Thank you to everyone who is following this story and to those who have read this far!**

The second she stepped out of the fire, Molly was holding her.

"Hermione! Dear girl, I've been so worried! Why didn't you owl me? You're skin and bones! Come into the kitchen." She led Hermione away from the fire before the first twin had even stopped spinning. Hermione was a little surprised the Weasley matriarch was being so warm to her still. She thought after the article she would be given the cold shoulder.

After a cup of tea and some small talk Hermione helped Molly start dinner for her large brood. Since the kids were all off at Hogwarts, the table wouldn't be quite as full. That didn't stop Molly from creating her usual feast. The remaining Weasley's could eat enough for an army. Soon after they started, Harry and Ginny arrived. She hugged them both and assured them that she was in fact 'fine'.

"Mione, care to take a walk around the garden with me?" Ginny asked her.

"Sure, as long as you can spare me Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione knew it was a pointless question, but asked to be polite.

"Of course dear! Take all the time you need. I can handle this." She directed her wand to the knives Hermione had been conducting to cut onions and potatoes.

Ginny grabbed her arm, pulling her out the back door. Once outside though, she seemed content to stay silent. After they had walked around the rambling garden once, Hermione asked, "Have you heard from the kids?" She stopped and sat on one of the stone benches. Ginny sat beside her before answering.

"Yeah. James wrote…" She trailed off.

"Did he have anything interesting to say?" Usually her friend was bursting to share information. Today Hermione had to drag it out of her.

"Mione, he said, well… Rose won't talk to them right now. She's only leaving her room when she has to and Hugo isn't sure how he feels, though he does feel bad for not seeing you. I'm told that was Rose's idea." Ginny gave her an apologetic smile. As if Rose's behavior was her fault. "James has already gotten detention for hexing one of the older Slytherin's when he kept taunting Hugo." Hermione felt a wave of gratitude for her nephew who was so much like his father and grandfather.

"Thank you Gin, for telling me." She could feel tears pricking her eyes. She didn't want to cry. She really didn't feel she had a tangible reason to cry. Her children's refusal to talk to her was heartbreaking though. It was hard to explain how something that seemed so small could break her down. She knew they didn't mean to hurt her, just like she didn't mean to hurt them by dissolving the bond. One tear fell, she sniffed and tried to cover the sound of her broken heart, but Ginny knew her too well.

"It's okay Mione. You can cry. I won't tell." Ginny wrapped her arms around Hermione, and she took the comfort her sister offered. "It's a blessing and a curse being a mother. I never knew. A gift as small as a leaf can make your day, and one misspoken word can pull your world apart." Hermione just nodded into her chest. She wasn't really crying, but she needed the comfort just the same.

"Girls! Supper's on the table!" Molly's voice called them back in.

Arthur was home and already seated when they walked in. Bill and Fleur walked in from the living room and took their seats as well. Ron and Harry were already sitting, with the usual seat between them where Hermione always sat. She smiled to think that some things never change. Before she could sit, Fred and George were on either side of her and maneuvered her into a seat between them. She was now sitting across from Harry.

Harry and Ron seemed confused to see her across from them instead of between. She just shrugged, slightly bemused herself. _Over 20 years I've sat at this table, and I have never sat on this side_. It was an odd feeling. She let it go, dinner was being served. Before she could grab anything, Fred and George started loading her plate.

"What are you two doing?" She asked them.

"Feeding you." Fred told her, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"You hardly ate at lunch." George said as he added more chicken to her plate.

She couldn't decide if she was amused at their attempt to feed her, or upset they were taking the decision out of her hands. Hermione didn't do well with letting other people have control. "Not all of us can eat enough food to fill a rhinoceros." She told them, and held up a hand to stop them adding anything else. They shrugged, and focused on their own food after that.

Conversation surged as everyone started to get full. Hermione was just contemplating going home and trying relax, maybe brew a sleeping draught, when Arthur cleared his throat from the end of the table.

"Hermione." He waited for her to look at him before continuing. "I thought I should tell you, before the owl comes-"

She cut him off, "Let me guess, I've been fired?" His ears turned red. She knew he was trying to do her a favor by telling her now. She thought this would happen. Even though the wizarding world was forward in many ways, there were some old fashioned ideas they were stuck on. A divorced mother, who also brought bad press, wasn't someone they wanted on their pay role. "Thank you for telling me Mr. Weasley. I suspected something like this would happen."

Fred looked at George over Hermione's head. George barely nodded before speaking. "Well, that's great!"

"How exactly is losing my job great George?" She looked at him. Confused on how he could see a bright side to this.

"Now you can come work with us full time!" Fred told her.

She didn't know what to say. It was a generous offer, and she wasn't naive enough to think it would be easy to get another job. _Plus working so close with the twins has its own benefits._ Before she could reply Bill leaned forward.

"You know Hermione, the shop isn't your only option. I could pull some strings and get you a job at Gringotts." Fleur gave him an adoring smile for his thoughtfulness.

"Hey! Back off!" Fred elbowed Bill.

"Yeah! We claimed her first!" George looked around Hermione to glare at Bill.

"Excuse me? You've _claimed_ me?" Hermione's voice was quiet, but Harry and Ron became completely still. They knew that tone, Hermione was not happy. They waited, tense, ready to see who they needed to help.

"This is all silly! I'm sure the Department for Magical Creatures will take you back once you re-establish the bond with Ron."

Hermione sputtered, losing her anger at the twins as quickly as it had come. She looked at Ron to see if he knew what was going on. He looked just as confused as her.

"Re-establish Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione asked, not wanting to upset her mother-in-law, but wanting to know what she was thinking.

"Well of course! Ron said your year wasn't up yet when he unintentionally broke it." She gave Ron a stern look when she said this. "I've spoken to him, and he has seen the errors of his ways. I'm sure even you can find it in your heart to take him back."

There it was. A reference to that bloody article. She could tell Harry and Ginny caught the reference too. Ron still seemed too stunned to tell his mother what was really happening.

Mr. Weasley sent a nervous glance around the table before saying, "Molly dear, don't you think we should leave that up to them?"

"Well, they can decide if they want to do it now with us as witnesses, or if they would rather have a ceremony again. Personally I think we should do another ceremony. That way we don't have to worry about any rumors saying it isn't true." She seemed oblivious to the mounting tension in the room. Fred and George were so stiff at her sides, they seemed to be made of stone.

Ron was starting to look slightly sick, and no one else seemed to know what to say. So Hermione gathered her Gryffindor courage and faced the woman who had been a mother to her in so many ways and was the grandmother of her children. "Mrs. Weasley, you seem to be…" She searched for a word. She didn't think delusional would go over well, "Misinformed. Our bond was already dissolving before Ron did anything. I'm not even upset with him. While I hope we can always be friends, we can no longer continue to be married." She glanced at Ron before adding, "Though he is more than welcome to stay at the house with the kids and I any time he wants."

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips. "Well, I had hoped you would look at this like a mother and think of my grandchildren if nothing else." That did it. She snapped.

"I think of _my_ children before I make _any_ decisions. How dare you insinuate I would do anything without considering how it would affect them? I thought they deserved to have two happy parents, rather than two people who were pining away for love they didn't have!" She got out of her seat and turned to walk to the fireplace. Before tossing in the floo powder, she turned back to the stunned dinner table. "Thank you for dinner. Fred, George, Bill, I will be in touch." She threw in the powder, and leapt into the emerald flames.


	8. Chapter 8

Dinner had gone so wrong, and Hermione was pretty sure she wouldn't be welcome at the Burrow any time soon, if ever again. After another sleepless night, she sent Athena to Fred and George telling them she accepted their offer. She was grateful to Bill for saying he would try, but she knew he couldn't do more than try. Even if she did get a job with Gringott's, it was sure to be a desk job. She wanted to DO something. She was slightly jealous of Ron and Harry. Sure, they had paperwork to fill out, _after_ they got back from a mission. Hermione knew she had been able to do a lot of good in her Ministry job. She had passed bills that gave werewolves equal rights, and the Wolfsbane potion was now available to any who needed it. House-elves still weren't free, but she realized now they didn't all want to be. She did make sure they were treated better though.

Looking in the mirror, Hermione thanked her magical genes. She may be 38, but thanks to the long lives and magic witches and wizards enjoy, she still looked 25. Fred and George sent a reply asking if she would come to dinner tonight where they would discuss her working with them. She had finally decided on wearing a pair of skinny jeans Ginny swore looked great on her, with a teal jumper. Black knee high boots completed the outfit. _You look like you're going on a date._ She thought as she studied her bum in the mirror. Ginny was right, the jeans did look great.

She still had the Anti-Disapparation Jinx up, so she was going to floo to the twins flat. Thankfully after a week of not seeing her, the reporters had given up hanging around her house. Glancing at her watch, she saw she needed to leave. She would go directly into their flat, and she knew they were expecting her, but she was still nervous. _You are only going to talk about a job. Nothing more_. She reminded herself, before walking into her fireplace.

-0-

"Shite George! She's here!" Hermione heard Fred shout when she stopped spinning.

"What should we do?" George's voice sounded a little panicked. Hermione noticed the room was rather hazy. She had thought it was from her trip, but now she suspected it was from something else. She walked towards the kitchen where the voices and smoke were coming from.

"Fred? George? Is everything okay?" She called.

"Hurry! Vanish it!" Fred whispered. Before she could step into the kitchen, Fred walked out and swept her into a hug. "Mione! So glad you could make it! George will be with us in just a moment." He was walking her back towards the living room. "Uh, let me just clear this up." He opened a window and transfigured a table lamp into a fan.

"Is everything okay?" She asked. She had an idea of what went wrong, but was wondering if he would tell her. It was George that answered.

"Just a little experiment. It got out of control. It's all under control now." He sat on the couch next to Fred, Hermione sat in the chair across from them.

"I see. Did your experiment have anything to do with making dinner?" She tried to hide her smile as they looked at each other.

"Er, maybe?" Fred said with a shrug. Hermione finally let loose her laugh.

"Have either of you cooked before?"

"Yes!" Fred exclaimed

"No," said George. Fred looked at George like he had been betrayed. "I don't think cereal counts Forge."

"I'll just order out. There is that pizza place down the street. They deliver." Hermione grabbed one of the order forms they had on hand and ordered two pizzas, bread sticks, and a dessert pizza. She thought, in the unlikely event they didn't finish it tonight, they could have leftovers. She tapped the red parchment and it vanished with a puff of smoke. "While we wait should we discuss business?"

The twins were looking at her, slightly surprised.

"You're good at that." Fred told her.

"Good at what?" she asked, curious. All she had done was order pizza.

"Taking care of things, of people. You didn't even think about it. I bet you even ordered our favorite kind." George was still staring at her.

"Well, I guess I'm just used to it. First Harry and Ron, then being a mom. Second nature and all." She changed the subject. "So what do you want me to do for you?"

The twins shook their heads a bit, like they were coming out of a trance. "Right, well we need help creating our ideas." Fred explained.

"See, we keep coming up with new ideas, but only have the time to create one out of three with the added stores and business meetings."

"We need you to help us create. You understand potions, charms, and transfiguration better than anyone we know."

"Those are usually the basis for our products. Plus we thought with your extensive knowledge you could possibly help improve some of our original ideas."

"What do you think?" They asked together. George had been the last to speak, but both were waiting for her answer.

"That sounds like something I can do, I suppose you already have a place for me to work?" They nodded. "When do I start?" She asked, feeling the old excitement building. She used to get the same feeling in school when they were planning to do something. Putting her knowledge to use was always gratifying.

They jumped up, and she stood as well, thinking they only wanted to shake her hand. Instead they grabbed her in a hug. Fred pulled her away and spun her around. He handed her off to George who did the same. George set her down so she was facing them. Still a little unsteady on her feet from the spinning, she swayed. Two sets of hands reached out to steady her. Fred and George had stepped closer when they grabbed her. Her nose was now almost touching Fred's chest. She looked up to meet his gaze, planning to thank him, but the look in his eyes stopped her. He looked _hungry_, and it made her shiver with pleasure. Glancing to her right, she noticed George had a similar look on his face, only he was watching her lips.

_Kiss me_, she begged with her thoughts. She was out of her element and didn't have the courage to make the first move. As if they heard, their heads moved closer to hers.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

They jerked away from each other. Hermione was panting a little. She had been holding her breath to see what they would do, and now the moment was lost thanks to the pizza guy.

-0-

Tap tap tap. An owl was at Hermione's window waiting to deliver the paper. Throwing her robe on, she opened the window, and took the paper from the barn owl there. She tucked it under her arm and walked into the kitchen thinking a cup of tea would be nice while she read. She set the paper down, glad she didn't have to go in until 10. She didn't need to be there to open the shop. While eating the twins had told her she could work whatever hours she wanted, but she liked to keep a regular schedule. She sat down, took a sip, and looked the Prophet. Tea flew from her lips as she spit it all over the picture of her being hugged, then spun by each twin in turn, over and over.

Seeing Double?

After breaking the bond with her husband Ms. Granger secluded herself in her house, without seeing anyone, or did she? Recent rumors have come to light that the tricky witch, not satisfied with one broken heart, has set her sights higher.

Last night she was seen cozying up to the wizarding world's wealthiest bachelors. Whether she is trying for both men's hearts, or plans to play them against each other, it is clear to see they are smitten with her. One source commented, "She is obviously using a love potion, they have never liked her before." This reporter hopes that Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley will see her for the manipulative witch she is, before they lose their hearts.

Rita Skeeter


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**

**I'm sorry if this came out a little choppy and for not posting it sooner. We were arguing. Fred and George refused to be patient, and while Hermione didn't want too, she was willing to wait. In the end my husband came in, asked why I was arguing with the computer and suggested a break. Oddly, after writing a scene from the next chapter, they settled down…. **

Halloween was just around the corner and Hermione was helping Verity set up the Halloween display in the front window. They had become friends shortly after some angry customers had cornered Hermione, yelling at her for being a harlot among other things. With the skills of a lion tamer, Verity had driven the customers away with a few firm, but kind words.

Hermione thought this year they had really out done themselves with Halloween pranks. Their newest item, one she helped create, was a miniature Grim. The animal was actually based off of Padfoot, and Hermione had already sent one to Harry. To make it work you wrote a person's name on the id tag and said the incantation to activate it. Then the little Grim would follow that person around, appearing and disappearing randomly. During a trial run they found you had to be specific when you wrote a name. They had put George's name on the tag, and the Grim went out and found every George in Diagon Alley. When they finally found it, in Quality Quiddich Supplies, it had an old man backed in a corner with a beater bat and hand over his heart.

There was also a cage of Fred and George's newest Pygmy Puffs. Instead of the usual pink and purple, these ones were black with bright yellow eyes. The real breakthrough was that they no longer just squeaked, these new ones could growl. It wasn't a very scary growl, but Hermione didn't think people would care. They were too cute.

Fred came bounding out of the backroom, "Hey Mione, are we still on for dinner at your place tonight?"

"Yeah, we can head over there right after I finish this." She told him, and he walked back to George.

Verity watched him close the backroom door before asking, "So what's with you three?"

Hermione groaned, "Don't you start too! There is nothing going on, we're just friends."

"I'm just curious. You guys are always together. I mean they do go over to your house for dinner a lot, or you stay here…" She trailed off. Hermione wondered if Verity knew just how much time they were spending together.

"We found it's easier to talk over ideas outside of work. That's where we came up with this cute little guy." She picked up one of the Grims and hugged it to her chest, avoiding Verity's eyes. What she hadn't told anyone was how their late night dinners had turned into sleep overs. Nothing had happened, but she still didn't think they should broadcast it.

It had started unintentionally. They had been talking late into the night, when she fell asleep on the couch. She woke up sometime later to find she was in a bed. Panicking at the unfamiliar setting, she got up and pulled her wand out from her pocket. She was still in her cloths from the night before. Walking out to the living room she found George asleep on the couch. That was the first time she wore the magenta colored robes to work. By the time Verity got in she was already working on a new potion to change skin color according to mood. Neither her, nor the twins mentioned her staying the night, but from there they were always together, day and night.

Fred and George had just absorbed her so easily into everything they did. She didn't even realize it was happening at the time. They were fun to be around, and actually listened to her… _Sweet Circe I have it bad_. "We're just friends and business associates. Nothing more." She nodded her head, as if that proved her point.

"Okay, well, I think this display is done. I'm going to head home." Verity hugged her and left.

"Hey guys!" Hermione called, Fred and George poked their heads out of the backroom, "I'm going to head home, see you in a bit?"

"We'll be there soon." George told.

"About an hour." Fred winked then they both went back to whatever they were working on. She tried not to stick her nose in their business, especially after they gave her a job. She couldn't help but wonder what they were working on though, she was sure it had to do with the parchment Fred slipped in his pocket. _You don't have to know everything. That's how you get in trouble._ She reminded herself, then she stepped out of the shop and apparated home.

After the article about her and the twins came out, she had doubled her wards. She was surprised when no one came to her home, but soon understood when she went to work the next day. They were all there waiting for her. After still not seeing anyone near her house, she took off all but the most basic wards, making her life that much easier. Since she still had an hour, Hermione decided to make a Shepard's pie. Hers might not ever be as good as Molly's, but she could hold her own.

She was still in the skirt and blouse she had worn to work that day. Not exactly practical when you worked in a joke shop, but she had been helping Verity up front and had worn her robes. Even if no one saw them, she still liked to look professional. She heard identical cracks from her living room.

"Love!" They called, "We're home!" They walked into the kitchen and crushed her between them. Her heart skipped a little when they called her house home. Hermione knew they did it for fun, but it still gave her hope, she knew there was something there. She just wasn't quite sure what.

After dinner they had retired to the library to relax. They each had a glass of elf made wine and Fred was trying to help her beat George at wizard's chess.

"Tell your knight to move to B3." Fred whispered in her ear. Every time he did that she shivered. She was glad they were all sprawled out on the rug, but being in front of the fire she couldn't claim she was chilled. She was pretty sure George was looking down her blouse, but it was hard to be sure. The way she was laying, propped on her elbows, did give him an excellent view. _Merlin what am I doing?_ She had never tied to seduce anyone in her life, but with a little research, Hermione thought she could try.

It had been almost a year since she had _real_ sex (she didn't think her Wonder Witch friend in the night stand counted). She missed having a man touch her, and her body wanted Fred and George to be that man. _Well, those men_, she corrected. At Ginny's insistence, she had tried to go on a date with the dashing Theodore Nott when he asked her. Half-way through the date she had received an urgent owl from Fred and George telling her she was need at the shop. She wasn't quite sure how, but they had managed to release all the Grims and Pygmy Puffs, and both were creating havoc in the shop.

"I don't really think you're trying princess." Fred told her when she sent her knight in the wrong direction, and it was brutally taken out by George's bishop.

"I'm distracted. I thought you said D3!" She told him.

"I know having us here is terribly distracting Mione" George told her with a wink.

"But do try to keep your mind out of the gutter." Fred chuckled as she blushed.

"For your information, my mind _wasn't_ in the gutter. I was bored and reciting the ways to care for scale rot in dragons." She defended herself, knowing her mind _had_ been thinking naughty things to do with them.

"You think we're boring?" Fred's voice was slightly deeper than normal. She broke out in gooseflesh.

"Completely, I just didn't know how to tell you." She put her nose in the air, trying not to laugh. She doubted the twins had ever been called boring.

"I guess we need to lighten thing up Forge."

"You're right Gred, we wouldn't our princess to think we're _boring_."

She knew she was in trouble, their voices held nothing but mischief. She sat up quickly "Now, I was ju-" Chess pieces went flying as they attacked her. "OH! MERLIN! I can't breathe!" she wheezed out between laughs. Fred was tickling her sides and George was tickling her feet. "OKAY! Okay! You win! You are the two most interesting men on the planet!" She cried, hoping for mercy.

They stopped at once, panting a little from holding her. "That's better." Fred told her, his arms wrapped around her waist.

"You only said it because it's true." George smirked, still holding her ankles.

Hermione was still breathless from laughing so hard. It took her a minute to realize the twins had gone completely still, and another minute to realize why. She was practically sitting in Fred's lap, her skirt had ridden high on her thighs from all her squirming, showing George quite a bit of leg. "Um, I'll just…" She wiggled, trying to get out of their hold. George moved his hands up her legs, pinning her. The look he was giving her had her panting for a whole new reason.

"Don't you dare move princess." Fred growled into her neck. She looked back at him, and stopped breathing completely.


	10. Chapter 10

His lips were hard against hers, insistent that she open for him. She gave in, opening on a sigh. He took advantage and slipped his tongue in her mouth. At the same time she became aware of George planting open mouthed kisses up her leg. Fred's mouth moved to her neck and she looked down to watch George as he moved closer to her core. His hands were hot on her legs and she welcomed the heat. When he reached the hem of her skirt, he moved to her other leg, kissing his way down.

Fred had moved the collar of her shirt aside and was kissing where her neck met her shoulder. Without warning he bit down. She cried out and her hips rose off the carpet, only George's hands kept her from lifting off the ground completely. As if her cry was the signal they were waiting for, their hands became rougher, their kisses deeper. Fred's mouth was back on hers, his hands kneading her breasts though the fabric of her shirt.

George pushed her skirt up around her hips. She was embarrassed that he could see how wet her knickers were. She tried to close her legs, but George had laid down between them and held her open to his gaze. "Don't do that beautiful, I've been dreaming about this for too long." His voice was husky and ended on a growl that made her even wetter. She moaned and arched her back again. Fred had her back pressed against his chest, he swallowed her moan and slipped his hand inside her bra. Vaguely she wondered what happened to her shirt.

George was still holding her legs down, and she could feel his thumbs circling higher on her thighs, just brushing against the edge of her knickers. She just wanted to explode in their arms. "_Please_!" She cried, _just one touch_ she thought, and she would come undone. Fred released her mouth and moved down her neck, she felt him moving against her back. The moment Fred bit down on her shoulder, George pushed her panties out of the way and plunged two fingers into her.

"Sweet Circe! Don't stop, whatever you do!" Fred was still attached to her neck, George was placing open mouth kisses over her thighs, and she couldn't think anymore. She shouted her release, shortly followed by George and Fred. She felt a wet spot against her back. _We just dry humped like a bunch of teenagers! Well, maybe not dry…_ she thought, but she certainly felt like a teenager. The twins still had clothes on for Merlin's sake!She was glad her flushed skin hid her blush. George was on his knees when she noticed a wet spot on his pants. He cast cleaning charms on them all.

"Sorry about that love," Fred told her between light kisses to his bite mark.

"Had to take the edge off." George leaned in to kiss her, then wrapped her legs around his waist and stood up. "Bedroom?" He asked his twin. Fred nodded in agreement, and they walked out of her now fully christened library.

She wasn't sure how George could tell where he was going with his lips locked on hers. His kisses were different than Fred, light and teasing. His tongue would just brush hers before pulling back. She bit his lip. "Kiss me George!" He chuckled and refused to deepen his kiss. Her door was already open when he walked in and tossed her on the bed, and Fred kicked it closed behind him

The room was dark, the only light coming from the window. She bounced a little from her landing. The cooler air in her bedroom brought her back to her senses. She quickly crossed her arms over her stomach and chest. "Fred, George I don't know ab-" she started to tell them before Fred cut her off.

"Don't even think about it Mione. We've waited long enough."

"We know you want us too. Why fight it?" George asked softly. They stood at the end of the bed. George flicked his wand and the lights came on. "That's better, now we can see you."

"Please turn them off." She asked them, looking towards her closet. She held herself tighter, waiting for them to agree.

"Why?" Fred wanted to know.

"I'm just, I'm not comfortable with them on. If we're going to do this-"

"Oh, we are going to do this princess."

"Then I would feel better with the lights off." She still wouldn't look at them, but could feel them watching her. She shifted and took her arm off her chest to grab her blanket.

"Stop Hermione." She heard the command in George's tone and stopped reaching. She tried to sneak a peek to see what they were doing. She turned to face them both when she realized both men were shirtless and their pants undone. She knew they still played Quiddich in their free time, and it sure did a body good. She tried not to ogle them, but muscles really were her weakness.

"Why do you want to cover up?" Fred asked. They were both looking at her curiously. She shook her head trying to focus on the conversation.

"Well, I don't know if you noticed, but I've had two kids." She tried to make it sound like a joke, if her voice caught a little at the end, she didn't think they noticed.

"No really?"

"We thought the stork brought babies."

"Why does it matter if you've had kids Mione?"

"It matters because my body doesn't look the way it used to! Everything is softer now, my stomach, my breasts. Even my hips are bigger!" How could they not understand? She wasn't in her 20's anymore.

They crawled into bed on either side of her, George moved the arm from across her middle, and Fred grabbed her other hand. They used their free hands to stroke her stomach and sides, their fingertips barely touching her still sensitive flesh. When Fred's hand stroked her lower belly, just above the waist of her skirt, she quivered.

"Mione, you're soft in all the right places." George's fingers had moved up and were tracing the scalloped edge of her bra. Fred's hand was still playing with the waist of her skirt.

"If we wanted someone hard, we'd go for a bloke." Fred smirked at her. She couldn't help the giggle the escaped. "That's better, George, would you do the honors?"

George had a Cheshire grin when she looked at him. He grabbed his wand and said an incantation she didn't recognize. She gasped as its meaning became clear. They were surrounded by mirrors. There was one hanging on her head board, one on each side of the bed, and when she checked, there was one above them too.

"This way no one misses out." He told her with a wink, before leaning down to kiss her again. Her lips felt swollen from all the attention, and she loved it. With four hands running along her sensitive body, she felt overstimulated in the best way. She lost herself in their touch, using her now free hands to feel the hard planes of their chests and stomachs.

"Will you let us have you love?" George whispered against her lips.

"We need you in our lives, forever." Fred's voice ghosted over her ear, followed by his tongue. Her mind was lost in a sexual haze. She didn't hear everything they were saying, but knew they were asking for her consent. She was a ball of need at this point, and wouldn't have been able to deny them anything.

"Yes."

**A/N**

**Please don't hate me! I wanted to give their first time together the attention it deserves. I didn't feel like I could do that by making a crazy long chapter. Hope you are still enjoying! Thank you to everyone who is following this story and marked it down as a favorite! I also love seeing all the people who have viewed this story, thank you to you as well! As I said before, I won't ask for reviews, but if something doesn't make sense, please let me know. If I can clear it up in the course of the story I will. **

**You all rock! **


	11. Chapter 11

It was too much and not enough. They were everywhere, surrounding her. She had never felt this cherished making love to Ron. Yet here was Fred, soothing her sensitive nipples with his tongue. George had his mouth on her core, she didn't know what wicked things he was doing, but she was sure she wouldn't be the same when he was done.

"_Please_!" She begged them. She wasn't sure what she was asking for, she just knew only they could give it to her.

"What do you want Princess?" Fred asked before kissing her. His hands now palming her breasts, kneading them. His question stopped the moans coming from her and she sat up out of his grasp. George noticed and stopped, lifting his head to watch her. Fred was kneeling behind her, his hands rubbing up and down her sides, offering comfort.

"What's wrong Hermione?" George watched her. She wasn't sure how to tell them what was bothering her now. In theory she knew there were many ways the three of them could be together. In reality, she had only been with one man. It hit her that she had been with the _same man_ since she was a teen, no more than a girl really. While her and Ron had been compatible in bed, their bedroom activities had been…vanilla. They rarely mixed things up.

Deciding to take the bull by the horns, she spoke up. "I don't know how to do this. I've only been with, well you know. I'm not sure what to do."

Fred and George laughed softly at her confession. She narrowed her eyes at them, unsure what they found funny in this situation. She was already getting distracted by their hands and the fact that they were half naked on her bed. "Mione, you don't have to _do_ anything. Let us take care of you this time."

"When you feel like returning the favor in the future, we can work things out then." Fred told her with a wink, as he helped her lean back on the pillows. They both stood quickly and took off their pants, crawling back onto the bed in their boxers. The twins flanked her, this time she could feel a change in them. They were slowing things down, for her. George leaned down, his eyes open and full of emotion she still couldn't explain.

His lips brushed against hers, eyes locked on hers. It was a sip, and she instantly wanted more. As if reading her thoughts, he sealed their lips, taking the kiss deeper than he had before. There was no rush, no teasing. It felt as if they were becoming reacquainted after years apart. Relearning the shape of each other's mouths. He kissed her as if he had all the time in this life and the next to kiss her.

While George was melting her defenses with his lips, Fred was heating her up. The nips and kisses he was pressing on her neck and shoulder were making her moan. His hands were roaming her body, never touching her the places she wanted him most. As George pulled away from her lips to kiss the outer shell of her ear, Fred moved up to take his place.

His kiss wasn't any faster than George's but instead of feeling like they had all the time in the world, Fred was slowly convincing Hermione that if they _stopped_ kissing, the world would stop with them. She gripped his hair, forcing him closer. _Maybe if we get close enough, the world will continue to be, _she thought. Their kiss went wild with her actions. Now Fred's hands were tangled in her curls, he pulled away briefly to look at her face. Then he tugged her back to him with such force that their kiss was more teeth and tongue.

"Fred." George said, barely above a whisper, but it was enough to get Fred to pull away, pulling her bottom lip as he went.

Hermione whimpered at the loss of contact. They didn't leave her for long. Having two men latch themselves to her breasts shocked her into lifting off the bed, only to have them force her back down. In tandem they moved down her body.

"She tastes so good George, how are we going to stop?"

"We aren't Fred."

Hermione wanted to say something, anything, she really did. Yet, every time she opened her mouth only breathy moans and the occasional whimper would come out. When the twins stopped, she looked to see why. She had been so distracted that she forgot her skirt was still on, sans knickers. She had also forgotten the mirrors the twins had charmed around them. Looking above her, she had to wonder at the woman looking back down at her.

She looked wanton and sexy. The two men on either side of her were working on removing the last of her clothes, and she watched it all. Watching them each kiss her hips was erotic and made her core weep. Fred had moved between her legs this time and caught her juices on his finger.

"She's so hot and wet. Ready and waiting for us." With that he stuck his finger in his mouth, licking it clean. This time it was Fred's mouth taking her higher until she was at the brink, but not letting her fall over yet. George was laying by her, one hand on her breast, the other supporting his head.

"Here's what we're going to do Hermione." She dragged her gaze up from his brother between her legs, her hands clenching the sheets, to meet his blue gaze. "First Fred here is going to take you just like this. You, on your back, moaning his name as you come apart. Then I'm going to flip you over and make you scream." She nodded in agreement, shivering at his words. "Later we can do what you want." He whispered in her ear, a wicked grin on his face.

With his words, they both removed their boxers. Fred positioned himself at her entrance. "Are you ready?" He asked, rubbing his tip up and down her folds.

"Yes! Merlin and gods above yes!" She finally found her voice, almost crying with her need. With that he pushed into her. From experience, she had expected him to take her rather fast. Her couplings previous to this had been over quickly with her barely getting to her orgasm before it was over. She wasn't prepared for the slow pace he set. She wiggled her hips, "More Fred, I need more." She panted, but he refused to listen.

She looked at George to see he was stroking himself in time to their lovemaking. She licked her lips, wondering what he would taste like. Her insecurities kicked in before she could take him in her mouth. Instead she looked up, watching every move as if she were watching a play. Soon George obscured her vision as he leaned in to kiss her again.

The slow burning fire Fred had started in her was turning into a raging inferno. She clenched around him, she could feel her release just out of her reach. Then George reached a hand down to circle that button of nerves, and she was consumed. "_Fred…_" She moaned. George moved as Fred buried his face in her neck. With a few more pumps he bit down on her shoulder and shot his seed into her.

As he rolled off, she realized how complete she was feeling. As if her life had been heading for this moment. Before she could get too deep in thought George flipped her so she was on her hands and knees. She met his eyes in the mirror in front of her. She cried out in pleasure as he took her. His hands were on her hips, still holding her eyes. There was nothing slow or gentle about him as he drove into her. George used his grip to pull her back to him every time he pulled out. Everything about his lovemaking was fast and furious. He pushed into her like he had a point to prove.

This time there was no build up to her release. It came fast and hard, "George!" She yelled. Her mind went blank. She saw white, and in that moment of blindness, everything came into focus. George wrapped one hand in her hair, and with a roar, spilled into her.

Her limbs were shaking. She waited for George to pull out before collapsing. She heard Fred cast a cleaning spell, glad he had thought of it because she was too tired to raise her wand. She had never felt this complete in her life, and it scared her as much as it thrilled her. She felt both men lay down next to her and pull the blankets over all three of them. When they wrapped their arms around her, she smiled before drifting off. She didn't notice when the twins kissed her head, or hear them tell her she was theirs now.

-0-0-0-

She was hot, burning up really, and sore. Her eyes snapped open. There on either side of her, were her ginger-headed twins. _No, not yours! Oh, this is bad, this is soooo bad_. She tried to pull out from between them, but they held her tighter. Fred's arm was around her waist with one leg thrown over hers. George had his face buried in her hair, his hand cupping a breast. A breast, she was embarrassed to notice, that was reacting to him.

Finally her frantic attempts to get away woke them up. "Mmmm, where're you going Mione?" George mumbled into her hair.

"Don't leave Princess, we can sleep in." With the way Fred's hand was wandering over her body, she doubted sleep was what he had in mind. Her body was opening to them, remembering the pleasure they had given her three different times last night. She blushed remembering how they had woken her up after a few hours of sleep, hard and ready. She squirmed harder. They finally removed their limbs, and she shot out of bed, taking the blanket with her. Turning back to the naked men in her bed, Hermione gathered the blanket around her.

"You have to leave. Now."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N**

**Sorry! I swear I didn't forget, my internet wouldn't connect to my computer. Very aggravating. Hope everyone had a great time over the holidays! Sorry if you read this the first time I put it up. I forgot to edit. **

_Mum, _

_Sorry we haven't written and that we didn't come to see you. I still love you and dad. Can't wait to see you during the holidays. _

_Love, _

_Hugo_

_P.S. _

_Rosie sends her love. _

She smiled at the letter in her hand, it was short, but Hermione didn't care. They weren't mad at her! This was just what she needed after kicking the twins out this morning. She still knew it was the right thing to do, but the hurt on their faces was replaying over and over in her mind, making her question her decision. Shortly after they had left, Houdini, their owl, brought her a letter saying to take the morning off, but they would see her that afternoon.

She was glad they had reached out first, but she was nervous. When she had showered she couldn't help but imagine them with her. When her jumper caught and brushed her nipple, she felt their mouths. Every move she made reminded her of the night before. Even in the beginning of their marriage, she had never been this… _in need_, after being with Ron. To keep her mind off things she had begun cleaning, avoiding the library. Before too long she heard the familiar tapping.

Eyes glazed, not really looking at the letter in her hand, she thought about Christmas. For so long she had gone to the Burrow. Now, she doubted she would be welcome. She had sent a brief apology to Molly, and had received one in return, but she hadn't tried to come to dinner in weeks. Now, that the divorce papers were final, she wondered where she would go. Her own parents were lost in Australia, the only other family she had here was Harry.

Still thinking over possible solutions, she heard the _whoosh_ of her floo activating. She looked up to see Ron standing there, clutching a letter of his own.

"You got one too?" He asked excitedly. Not being able to talk to their children had been hard on both of them.

"Yeah, it's not much, but at least they finally said something." She hesitated, "Did Hugo happen to mention Christmas in your letter?"

"Yeah, why?" Ron looked at her confused.

"Well, what are we going to do?" She asked him.

"What we always do, go to the Burrow." He told her, as if it was obvious.

Hermione tried not to look at him like he was an idiot, she really did, but honestly. His mum still wanted them together, if they showed up with each other, well, Hermione didn't want to think about what his mum would do. "We can't just go to the Burrow together Ron. Your mum will get her hopes up, and we don't want to do that."

"Right, well getting her hopes up really shouldn't be a problem." His ears turned pink and he rubbed the back of his neck, not quite meeting her eyes.

"Why?"

"Well, I'm sort of seeing someone?" He asked her, like she would know if he was in a relationship or not.

"Please tell me it's not Lavender?" She had her suspicions that Lavender had called the Prophet about Ron.

"No, no. That was a mistake. Actually I'm seeing Luna." He winced, as if he expected her to yell. In truth, she couldn't have been happier for him.

"That's great Ron!" She stood up and hugged him. "We should do something together." She looked at the clock, it was almost 11. "I have to go! I'm meeting Ginny for lunch. I'll owl you later and we will talk about Christmas?" She asked, like it was a question. They would talk about it before the holidays. She kissed his cheek before he floo'd home.

Hermione apparated to a small café in Diagon Alley, one she liked to visit often with Ginny. Ginny wasn't there yet, but she saw quite a few patrons eye her as she walked in. She wasn't worried though. One of the reasons she loved this place was because they respected her privacy. She had already ordered drinks when Ginny walked in.

She stood up and gave Ginny a hug before they both sat back down. "Wow Hermione. You are looking a lot more…relaxed. So who was it?"

"Who was…what?" Hermione took a sip of her iced coffee, this place made the best iced coffee.

"Who did you shag last night?" Ginny asked in her blunt manner, smiling as Hermione spit her drink out.

"Wha- I don't know what you mean." She tried to pretend she hadn't just lost her sip of coffee. Ginny just looked at her. Ginny was convinced Hermione had a tell, sadly Hermione didn't know what it was. "Okay, fine. I had a mind-blowing shag last night. Happy?"

Ginny clapped her hands excitedly. "Oooo! Was it Theo? No, you would have told me if you went on another date with him. Hmmm…" She watched Hermione closely. Hermione, for her part could feel her face growing warmer with each passing second. Finally she looked down in embarrassment. She had just told her best mate, her sister, that she had mind blowing sex with her brothers! Well, not all of that, but if Ginny asked who it was, Hermione wouldn't lie. She needed Ginny in her life too much to keep something like this from her.

"Oh my gods! Hermione Jean Granger! You didn't!?"

Hermione looked up, surprised she had worked it out so quickly. "It's not-" she started before Ginny cut her off.

"You took home a stranger didn't you? I'm so proud of you! What a way to break out!"

"Wait! Gin! Slow down! I didn't bring home a stranger."

"Well, then who was it? Do I know him?" Ginny had her held tilted to the side. She always did that when she was curious. Harry thought it was adorable. It made Hermione think of a puppy.

"Yeah, you know them." Hermione was certain an egg could fry on her face. This was not the conversation she planned to have this afternoon.

"THEM?! You were with TWO men!?" Ginny was practically bouncing in her seat. Other guests were staring at the two women. Hermione quickly cast silencing charms around them, she didn't need the whole café to know her business, and Ginny seemed likely to continue shouting.

"Yes. It just happened you know?"

"Sadly, I don't know." Ginny gave a happy sigh, her eyes slightly glazed, probably imagining two Harry's. "So, who were they?" she focused on Hermione again.

Hermione gulped. This would certainly test their friendship, she could even loose her. Closing her eyes to avoid looking at her, Hermione mumbled, "Your brothers."

"What?" Ginny leaned forward. "I didn't catch that."

_You are a Gryffindor, you can do this._ She opened her eyes and looked into bright brown ones. "Your brothers Ginny. I was with Fred and George last night."

She expected yelling. Maybe even to have Ginny storm off. What she did seemed so much worse. Ginny turned pale, and fell back into her chair. Her breathing was shallow. Hermione wasn't sure if she was going into shock, or if she had just given her best friend a heart attack. After minutes of silence, Ginny's color came back and she looked at Hermione again.

"You slept with my brothers?"


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N**

**Longer chapter! Sorry I haven't updated sooner! I swear forces outside my control are keeping me from writing. I also want to say thank you to both BeccaLister and Sakura Lisel for reviewing! Another thank you to all those who favorite and follow this story! You guys make my day every time I get one of those notifications! **

"You slept with my brothers." Ginny repeated. Hermione wasn't sure if she should say anything, or let her friend think about it for a minute. The decision was taken out of her hands when Ginny started laughing.

"Gin?" She questioned. This one not a reaction she had expected. She had gone over conversations in her head depending on Ginny's reaction to her news if she ever found out. Laughter was not on her list.

"Mione! I can't believe you! The twins, sure, but you? Oh! This is priceless! Well, they say opposites attract. Before you even think of saying anything, the same rules we had with Ron apply. I do NOT want to know how good my brothers are in bed." Ginny gave her a stern look.

"How do you know they're good in bed?" Hermione asked with raised eye brows.

"You said, and I quote: 'mind-blowing shag.' I still don't want to know the details. So are you dating now? How did this happen? I'm so happy for you!"

"We aren't dating. It just happened. You know I've been working there, and we hang out quite a bit now…" She trailed off at the look of disappointment Ginny was giving her.

"You aren't dating? Do they know it was just for fun? Because honestly Hermione, I never saw you as someone who did those kind of things."

"We haven't had a chance to talk about it. I kicked them out this morning." She winced knowing it was as bad as it sounded. When Ginny looked like she was going to say something, Hermione held up her hand. "I know, I know. Not my best reaction. But really, it's not like this is something that is done anymore! There haven't been any triads in almost a century, and I believe the last one involved two of your aunts."

"No, they aren't common. I think my uncles might have been part of one; if they had made it through the first war. Do you have feelings for either of them?" She hoped Hermione wouldn't try and choose between her brothers.

"Promise you won't tell or get upset?" Hermione held out her pinky for Ginny. She had introduced Ginny to the pinky promise when they were in school, and still used it to seal a promise. Ginny locked her pink with Hermione's. "I like them both Gin, a lot. More than I thought possible. It's not right though. I mean for goodness sakes I was married to your brother! We have two kids! I can't start seeing your _other _brothers. It seems so wrong. It is wrong. I know it." She tried to sound convincing. She needed to convince herself this was a one-time thing.

"Are you trying to talk yourself out of this Mione? Have you forgotten that you have lived in the wizarding world longer than the muggle one? Our family won't care, well mum might be a little concerned at first. She still thinks you should be with Ron." Ginny rolled her eyes. "You don't have to get married. Just see where it goes. You know you have my support. Harry's too. Do you want me to tell him, or will you?"

"Thanks Gin. You're the best." Hermione leaned over to hug her sister. "I'll tell him. Soon, I promise. I have to head out now though. Fred and George expect me at the shop."

"They must like you. They still want to see you after you kicked them out? What have you done to my brothers?" Ginny joked as they stood to leave.

They hugged again "See you later, yeah?" Hermione said. Ginny nodded and they parted. Ginny to the nearest apparition site, and Hermione towards Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

-0-

"Hermione… Hermione…Hermione!" Hermione felt someone grab her shoulder from behind and reacted on instinct. She spun around, breaking the hold on her, and leveled her wand at her attacker's throat. Only to come face to face with a very stunned Verity. Hermione quickly lowered her wand and stepped away.

"Sorry about that Verity. Old habit you know?" She shrugged and tried not to grin. She hadn't meant to attack Verity, but it was nice to know she still had a quick draw.

"Right, yeah. Remind me to never sneak up on you. What has you day dreaming?"

"Nothing, just thinking." Hermione blushed. She had been thinking about Fred and George again. After a brief hello when she first walked in, they had hardly spoken. She already missed them. The ache had been growing all day, but she knew she still needed to think things over. Between Ron and Ginny, she hadn't a moment to herself.

"Hmmm… You know your Grims are a hit. We're almost sold out." Verity watched for Hermione's reaction to the news. She had been very proud of the Grims. Nothing. Verity tried something else, "The black pygmy puffs were great too. Fred and George will be happy to see their new breed selling so well."

At the mention of Fred and George Hermione perked up. The knowing look in Verity's eyes had her blushing. "That's great Verity!" She quickly replayed everything the woman in front of her said. "I'm glad the Grims did so well. I will work on making some more tomorrow."

"Oi! Mione! Can you come here?" Hermione turned to see George poking his head out of the backroom. Seconds later, Fred's followed. She couldn't help the smile that took over her face and seeing her two guys. _My guys? Oh dear. Hermione, one shag does not a relationship make._ She schooled her featured before turning back to Verity.

"Are you opening tomorrow?" She asked

"Yeah. 8 sharp."

"Perfect, I'll bring the coffee if you bring the bagels?" Hermione offered. Verity nodded and shooed her toward the waiting twins.

"Finally." George smirked.

"Took you long enough Princess." Hermione didn't bother saying anything. She had been 2 minutes, tops.

"What do you need from me boys?" She knew the minute the words were out of her mouth they were trouble. Fred and George's grins turned slightly predatory.

"What we need from you-"

"Is something you may not be willing to give-"

"Yet." They finished together. She shivered. If only they knew how willing she would be. Her eyes wandered around the backroom. _A quick silencing charm, a couple wards, and they could take me against those shelves…_ She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Skipping over innuendo. Is there something specific you wanted to _talk_ to me about?" She asked, avoiding their eyes. She wasn't sure if the cloud of lust had faded from them yet.

"We realized that things may have moved a bit fast last night." George started.

"Even if we_ have_ been getting to know each other for over a month now." Fred continued.

"The point is, we wanted to talk to you about what we want."

"What we hope you want."

"Clear the air on what happened."

"Discuss it happening again."

"And let you know we don't plan on it being a one-time thing." George finished. They both watched her, hopeful looks on their faces.

"I…" She didn't have time! She would have to stall. "I would like to discuss what happened, and where you see this," She waved her hand between them. "Going. Can we go somewhere else to talk though? I hardly think the backroom of your shop is the place for this." There, she hadn't committed to anything, and she would get a bigger picture.

"Can we go back to your place?" Fred asked.

"Specifically your library?" George finished.

Hermione took a quick breath. The library? _The library_? The one where it all started? This seemed like a bad idea. She opened her mouth to tell them when Fred interrupted her.

"We need one of your books."

"It might help explain."

She released the breath she had been holding. "Sure. We can do that." She told them. After all, she was never one to turn down a book.

-0-

They were sitting in the chairs around the fireplace. Hermione noticed none of them were willing to look at the rug. When they had gotten there, it was hard to believe she had seen them in her house that morning. Everything was awkward and it was her fault. Determined to make everyone as comfortable as possible, she made tea before they retired to the library.

Once they sat, no one wanted to start the conversation. Tired of waiting for one of them to start, Hermione spoke up. "Does this have something to do with the notes you were taking the first time you came over?"

"You saw that?" Fred asked. He thought he had gotten away with it. Hermione didn't say anything, just waited for him to continue.

"You're right, it has to do with this." George told her. "How much do you know about soul bonds Hermione?"

"Quite a lot actually, considering I was part of one for 18 years."

"Ah, didn't think about that did we Gred? Okay well then you know it only works when your magic is compatible with someone else's?" At this Fred turned to his brother, who in turn went to grab the book they had been looking at before.

"Yes. If you're not actually compatible, you can still marry, but a soul bond won't form. Is there a reason behind this?" She was getting uneasy. Soul bonds were serious, she was nowhere near ready to talk to them about something as big as this.

"We think a bond is forming between the three of us." George blurted out.

"George! We were supposed to be cool about this!"

"It's not like she doesn't know about bonds Fred! Besides, she would have figured it out herself soon enough, if she hadn't already."

"But you make it sound like we are trying to get her to bond with us!"

"Isn't that the idea?"

"Not today it isn't!"

"Boys" Hermione tried to draw attention to herself. They were too busy glaring at each other to look at her. "Boys!" They finally looked at her. "Care to explain?"

"We have a theory." George started.

"We think you were able to bond with Ron because his magic is similar to ours."

"But see, it didn't last because your bond was meant to be with us."

"Why do you think that?" Hermione asked.

"The way we've connected so easily."

"Last night."

"How do you know last night wasn't a result of raging hormones?" Hermione challenged.

"Are you saying you didn't feel anything more than lust last night Hermione?" George asked. They both watched her. She couldn't answer. Yes, she had felt something deeper, had been feeling it all day.

"We aren't trying to pressure you, but it makes sense. It even explains how that can happen here." Fred held out the book to her with a page already open. She barely glanced at it. She had already read this book. Twice.

"What I'm wondering is how this works for Fred and I. We already know we have a twin bond."

"Which is why things always seem to work better when we share."

"But does that mean we bond to each other?"

"Would we be husbands? Because we really aren't into that. Even if George here has a secret crush on me."

"I beg to differ Fred, it is you who has the crush on me. I know it's because I'm the better looking twin." George smirked at his brother. Before they could start again, Hermione intervened.

"Wait, back-up. Can you explain what you mean by things working out better when you share?" Hermione had an idea why sharing worked better for them, but wanted to know what they thought.

"Well dear Mione, when we were growing into our amazing sexual prowess." Here Fred winked at her, she blushed, but didn't look away.

"We found that even with beautiful witches… erm… helping us out-"

"We weren't completely satisfied. It wasn't until one night involving a lot of firewhiskey-"

"A kinky Ravenclaw-"

"And my brother here."

"That we realized we could experience _more_ pleasure if we shared one witch."

"Not really sure why our twin bond would affect that area of our lives." Fred was watching his brother. They had already talked about telling Hermione everything, but he couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed talking to her about his past conquests. George however was watching Hermione.

"You don't seem terribly surprised by this." Fred turned to look at Hermione too. Her expression wasn't surprised or even a little disgusted like they expected. Instead she had that know-it-all look. The one that said she knew something you didn't.

"Why aren't you surprised Hermione? What do you know?" Fred asked her.

"You guys really don't know, do you?"


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N**

**Quick clarification: I own nothing you recognize. Also, last chapter and the beginning of this chapter happen on a Saturday. I could start adding in dates if you wanted. **

"What don't we know?" They asked together.

She wasn't really prepared for this. She thought even if they hadn't found the book yet, their mother would have told them. "You're already soul bonded."

"How do you know that?" Fred asked her. George studied her, waiting to hear what she had to say. Before answering she went back to her desk and wrote down the book she needed: _Twin Bonds: A History_. As she put the paper in the desk she thought about how the wizarding world really needed to find new titles for their books. Most of the books in her small library ended with _A History. _She followed the book back to her chair, finding the chapter she was looking for as she began to explain.

"When I was pregnant with Rose your mum and I were talking. She felt the need to recount _all_ of her pregnancies with me. When she was telling me about you two, she mentioned how they were surprised to find out you were twins, when the scan only showed one." She found what she was looking for and used her finger to hold the place. "I don't know how much you know about pregnancy scans?"

"Nothing at all." George told her cheerily.

"That's what I thought. The first time they scan is much earlier than they do in the muggle world. There is a spell that shows the being in your womb. Basically, it shows the soul of your child. When there are twins, it shows two souls." Fred and George were nodding along with her explanation. "With you two, it only showed what seemed to be one soul. That's not to say you aren't your own people, you are, as I'm sure you've noticed." She smiled. "Your mom had no idea she was having twins. I was interested and decided to look up twin bonds, which led me to this." She handed them book she was holding.

They read in silence for a few minutes, Fred holding the book, George reading over his shoulder. "Gred, do you know what this means?"

"That we were famous before we went to Hogwarts Forge?"

"That, and that our little witch here has done research on _us._ I knew she was always into us."

They looked up at her. She sputtered at their conclusion. "Wha- Tha-, That is not why I read this book. I was interested in the theory. The fact that you have your own chapter has absolutely nothing to do with it." They just grinned before going back to the book. "You can borrow that, but I expect it back in the same condition as it left." She stared at them until they nodded, agreeing to her terms. "This is why you get more satisfaction from sharing one witch. You're already two parts of one soul, you need to be together for your experience to be at its peak. I'm almost positive that this is how Fred survived that wall." She stopped, flashing back to that day.

They had all thought Fred was dead. She could still hear Percy's screams as he tried to dig his brother out, his wand forgotten in his desperation. Once Fred had been moved to the Great Hall, his family had gathered around him. None daring to touch him after Madam Pomfrey shook her head, telling them without words he was gone. When George grabbed his hand, preparing to say his last good-bye, Fred had started gasping for air. No one had been able to explain his recovery, nor had they been all that fussed too. Fred was back, and that was all that had mattered.

Fred set the book aside. "While this has been an interesting discussion."

"It's not exactly what we wanted to talk about."

"You started it." She mumbled. Coming out of her thoughts, happy to leave them in the past.

"Regardless, we wondering where you would like this to go." Fred explained

"Do you want to jump right in and bond now, or wait for a couple months and give mum time to plan it out?" George asked.

"We can be flexible." Fred finished and smiled.

"Excuse me?" She couldn't quite believe their audacity. "I thought you weren't going to pressure me?" She questioned.

"We did give you the option of waiting a few months."

"Mum would be happier that way."

"No." She stopped them from continuing.

"No?" Fred asked.

"I'm not bonding with you just because you two think I should! I have responsibilities. It's not just me anymore. I have to consider how a relationship with you will affect my children. So my answer is no. Last night was fun, but we can't do that anymore. If you want me to find work somewhere else I will understand." She looked away from them.

She felt them stand up and sandwich her between them. She struggled to control her breathing, not wanting them to know what they were doing to her. "I think you misunderstand Mione." George breathed in her ear.

"We aren't really giving you the option to walk away." Fred said as he grabbed her chin. Her head snapped up to meet his eyes. If they thought they could order her around, they had another thing coming.

Eyes flashing dangerously she asked. "Just who do you think you are?"

"Your future." Fred responded, and she could feel George nod before Fred's lips were on hers. She had every intention to fight. The arrogance of these men! When George lowered his head to kiss her neck, she could feel the fight leaving her, and that pissed her off.

She pushed away from them, locking her knees so her legs wouldn't tremble and give her away. "You aren't listening to me." She started when George cut across her.

"We heard you, but I think you still don't understand. You could walk away, but we refuse to let you go without a fight. You think we don't know each other well enough? Fine, we can go on dates."

"We plan to win you over Princess. You fell into a relationship with Ron, and that's fine, but you _do_ belong with us, and we _will_ show you that." Fred and George were standing side-by-side now. Most wouldn't be able to tell who was who, but she could, she would always be able to now. They knew her better than she thought. Her relationship with Ron did just happen. They were two parts of the Golden Trio, destined to be together. At least that's what she had thought.

Still, it wasn't just her who would be entering a relationship, and she needed them to understand that. Before she could say anything George spoke again. "We get that you have kids. We do know that. We don't want to take Ron's place, and we aren't asking you to give them up for us."

"We aren't cruel Princess." Fred said. "We just want to give this a shot. At least let us take you out on an actual date before you say no." They moved to surround her again. "Please Hermione."

She broke, and a small part of her hated that she couldn't stand her ground with them. The rest of her was trying not to jump on them. Being so close really wasn't something she could handle.

-0-0-0-

Landing on the familiar path, Hermione looked at the house of her surrogate family. When she failed to remove the charm on her parents, she had found refuge here. Molly had become a mother in many ways. It had been hard to know her chosen mother wasn't happy with the choices she was making in life. She just hoped this newest one didn't ostracize her forever.

She hadn't planned on coming to dinner this Sunday, or anytime soon, but Fred and George had insisted and Molly had practically ordered. So now here she was, standing at the apparition point, still staring at the house. Realizing she was being silly, Hermione started to walk. Even if the bridge was never fully healed with her mother-in-law, that didn't mean they couldn't be civil to each other. No matter what Hermione decided to do with her personal life.

She had written to Rose that night, telling her she was possibly entering a new relationship with her uncles. That had been awkward to write. She knew Rose would tell her brother about this newest development. Hermione also knew it was best that she tell her children now, instead of letting them find out from the paper, which was sure to make it out as something bad.

Hermione stopped before knocking. It seemed strange to knock, she had been letting herself in for years now. Would knocking like a guest make things worse, or would it be worse to act like nothing had happened? She still wasn't sure what to do when the door opened to reveal one of many red heads. "Hermione!" Ginny yelled, pulling her in by the arm. "I'm so glad you made it! Everyone has been asking about you." She added in a whisper.

"Ah, well I'm here now." Hermione stopped, forcing Ginny to stop walking as well. "Look, Gin, I think you ought to know first. Fred, George and I have agreed to start dating." Seeing her friend's eager grin she continued quickly. "It's nothing official yet. I just though you should know in case something comes out tonight."

"That's so great! How did they ask you? Were fireworks involved?" Ginny was facing Hermione, bouncing on her toes. Even at over 30 years of age, the red head had more energy than anyone she knew.

"No fireworks" Hermione smirked remembering their time snogging before the twins left late that night. They had certainly felt like fireworks, something she was still getting used to. They had wanted to stay the night, but in an effort to slow things down, Hermione wouldn't let them. She hadn't slept well.

"You have that goofy look on your face. The one that says I don't want to know." Ginny had a disgusted look on her face. Hermione thought about telling her they had just snogged, but decided to leave it alone. "So, details on how they asked. If there weren't fireworks, what did they have?"

"Persistence." She answered honestly. "They didn't ask so much as tell me we were meant to be together and I could accept that now, or wait until we had the wedding." Hermione still wasn't positive why she had let them get away with taking the control out of her hands, but they seemed to be doing it a lot.

"YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED?!" Ginny shrieked before Hermione could cover her mouth.

"Shut up!" She hissed. "No, I'm not, and please for the love of Merlin, do not say those words around your mother until we get this sorted." Hand still on Ginny's mouth, she waited until her friend nodded before letting go.

Ginny was speaking before her hand was even an inch from her mouth. "Not exactly romantic, but I suppose it could be… sexy, in a cave man sort of way. Yes, I know I said sexy in regards to my brothers." Ginny shivered. "I just imagined Harry saying something like that to me, and Godric!" Ginny started fanning herself and Hermione had to laugh at her dramatic friend.

Before she could say anymore, Molly came around the corner. "Hermione!" She rushed forward to give the younger girl a hug. "I'm so glad you made it!" Hermione hadn't realized just how much she missed that hug. Mrs. Weasley didn't just hug, she gave you everything she had, and expected nothing in return. It was a powerful thing, and a magic all its own. Hermione hugged her back, hoping that her recent news wouldn't drive them apart again.

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley. I'm glad I could make it too. Supper smells lovely." Mrs. Weasley let go and hooked her arm through Hermione's bringing her into the kitchen, Ginny trailed behind. They talked for some time, laughter from the living room occasionally making its way to them. Hermione couldn't stand the girl talk anymore. She longed to see what her boys were up too. Not just Fred and George, but Harry and Ron. They hadn't been together, just the three of them, in what felt like ages.

When Mrs. Weasley turned her full attention to the pudding Hermione saw her chance. "Excuse me Mrs. Weasley. I'm just going to see what the boys are up to in the living room."

"Of course dear, let them know supper will be ready soon?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Sure." Hermione stood and gestured for Ginny to join her. Hermione paused in the doorway, just watching. Harry, Ron, Fred, and George were on the floor playing a game of exploding snap. The tower they were building was taller than Hermione had ever seen. Bill and Fleur were on the loveseat, Bill leaning forward, encouraging them on. Percy and his wife were on the sofa closer to the game. Percy looked like he didn't know whether to be unhappy the game was so close to him, or grin at the four adults playing on the floor.

Within seconds of them entering the room, the tower exploded. Cries of dismay and pain started, Percy squealing when his robes caught on fire. His wife was quick to rescue him, giggling at his reaction. The four men on the floor were all laughing at each other, pointing out that none of them had eyebrows. Hermione rushed forward, wanting to make sure everyone was okay. They had been leaning rather close when it blew up. Ginny was standing in the door laughing, when Harry turned to look at his wife and friend, Hermione lost control. His face was covered in soot, hair standing on end, and two white spots above his eyes where his eyebrows had been.

"Hermione!" Harry stood up to greet her, grinning at her laughter.

"Mione!"

"Princess!" Fred and George stood up as well to greet her, stealing her from Harry and hugging her so tight her feet left the ground. Ginny looked on with a knowing smile, Bill and Fleur looked between the three of them, then started whispering to each other. "I think I have some hair growth potion in our old room. One second." Fred said and raced off.

"Merlin, you boys look ridiculous. I hope Fred has that potion." Ginny said, wrapping her arms around Harry's waist.

"I'm not sure I want to take whatever they have. We'll all have antlers." Ron said, standing to join them. George still had an arm loosely wrapped around Hermione's waist. Harry and Ron noticed and looked at Hermione, silently asking for an explanation. She just barely shook her head, asking them not to mention anything. Harry's gaze told her she would be talking to them later.

"It will not! Fred and I wouldn't take it otherwise. We always keep some stocked, we've lost more hair than I can remember." Hermione had been trying to discretely wiggle out of his hold while he was talking. George was having none of it, and tightened his hold. Hermione looked over at Ginny, pleading for help. The little red headed witch just grinned and turned back to Harry.

"You know, maybe you should keep the look. It might help you distract the bad guys long enough to catch them." She said cheekily. She was saved from Harry's reply by Fred bouncing back into the room.

"Found it!" He called, eyebrows already restored, soot gone from his face. His clean face reminded the others they were still dirty. Damp cloths were summoned while everyone took a sip from the potion bottle. "Looks like we will have to bring more over Gred, this was our last bottle." Fred told his brother, holding up the now empty bottle. Seeing Hermione still trying to get out of George's hold, Fred smirked and walked over to them.

"You look uncomfortable Princess." He said, his lips brushing her ear. He slid his arm around her shoulder so she was sandwiched between them, something else she was becoming accustomed to.

"Get off me." She whispered, just loud enough for them to hear. Everyone was watching them now. "Everyone is staring. They are going to start wondering what's going on!" She tried to keep her lips from moving too much, not wanting everyone to be privy to their conversation. Fred and George just tightened their arms around her and laughed. Giving up on trying to get away, she decided a distraction was in order. "Supper should be ready by now. I came in to tell you."

Every Weasley took off for the kitchen. Fred and George even let her go so they could try and beat their brothers. Harry stood by her side, watching as his wife elbowed her brothers to get to the front of the pack. "So, are we going to talk about this?" Harry asked her, still facing the door.

"Yes, just not right now?" She asked.

"Okay Mione, but we will talk, yeah?" He turned to face her.

"Of course Harry." She leaned in to hug him. His arms weren't as long as Ron's, or as muscular as the twins, but when Harry hugged her, she had never felt more at home.

**A/N**

**From here on out the chapters are going to get longer. I was going back and even though each chapter stopped where I felt it was natural, they are all rather short. Plus, in all honesty, I don't really plan for this to be like 70 chapters long. I hope the characters don't seem too OOC. Keep in mind they aren't teenagers anymore. They are all adults with separate lives. **


	15. Chapter 15

Once again Fred and George sat Hermione between them. Every time a bowl was passed to George, he would put some on his plate, then some on her plate and pass the dish to Fred. Hermione kept trying to grab the dishes from them, but they would evade her grasp. She could tell Fred and George were having fun letting her get close to grabbing them, then moving out of reach of her shorter arms.

When Bill went to pass a bowl of peas to George, Hermione saw her chance. Leaning over George, she snatched the bowl from Bill's hands.

"Ah ha!" She cried, happy she managed to beat them. She didn't care that she had to lay half-way across George to do it. As she moved to sit back down, George grabbed onto the bowl as well. Hermione met his eyes, they were sparkling with mirth. He gently tugged on the bowl, she refused to let it go. Soon they were engaged in a bizarre tug-of-war over the peas, still looking into each other's eyes.

Their pulls were getting harder, and they didn't realize it, but the whole table was watching them. Hermione was scowling, George still looked amused. She was so focused on George, that when Fred put his hand on her shoulder it startled her into letting go of the bowl. George hadn't expected the sudden release of tension, and the bowl, peas and all, went flying. It seemed to be happening in slow motion, they all watched the bowl fly over George's head, over Bill's, to land right on top of Fleur. Her hair was full of peas, the bowl upside down on her head. The green balls were all over the table, many had fallen out in the bowl's escape.

The entire room held its' breath. Fleur was usually very mild mannered, but there were times her Veela temper came through. A few seconds that felt like a small eternity passed. Then Fleur started laughing. Her bell like laugh brought life back into the room. Soon they were all breathless. Percy had tears running down his eyes, face red. Fred and George had equally red faces and she wasn't sure they were breathing.

It was one of those times Hermione was glad she had been taken in by the Weasley clan. She looked around the table at them all, most had started to calm down, and Mrs. Weasley was giggling in-between hiccups. Once everyone in the room was mostly in control of themselves Mr. Weasley turned to look at Fred, George, and Hermione.

"Perhaps you should let Hermione serve her own food from now on boys." His eyes dancing as he cleaned up the mess they had made with a sweeping motion of his wand.

Fred and George looked down, not giving an answer. Hermione looked at Fleur. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen!" Fleur waved off her apology, still chuckling.

Hermione was talking to Harry and Ron across the table when it happened. "So you think someone is trying to start a new sect of dark wi-wizards?" She tripped over her words when she felt a hand on each thigh. She looked at the men on either side of her, neither was looking at her. She would have to be naïve to think it was a coincidence.

Harry was already answering her. "It seems so. They haven't exactly come out in the open and declared themselves. There seem to be quite a few nasty accidents though. Fires and such, which on closer inspection are connected to dark magic."

George's hand was firm on her leg, rubbing in circles, every once every few turns, it would skim the inside of her leg. Fred's was only using his fingertips, barely touching her leg at all. He was drawing indecipherable patterns on her inner thigh. Even through her jeans it felt like they were lighting a fire under her skin where they touched. No one seemed to notice they only had one hand above the table.

Not wanting to alert anyone, considering where they were, Hermione attempted to carry on a normal conversation. "So what will the department do about it?" When their hands started to stray higher, she tried to close her legs. Only to have each hand firmly hold her in place.

"A team will go up and investigate." Ron told her, thankfully swallowing his potatoes before answering. It had taken her over a year to get him to stop talking with a full mouth. Their hands were still moving on her legs, and the worst part, when she looked at them, neither man seemed affected! She could tell her face was turning pink from the heat they were creating. At this rate they would drive her mad before the end of the night.

"I-I thought you two were part of the case? Won't you be going?" She stuttered as Fred's pinky brushed against the seam of her pants, closely followed by George's.

Harry gave her an odd look, Ginny, also noticing the stutter, studied her friend. First noticing the flushed cheeks and the slight panting. Then she looked to her brothers. She gave Hermione a knowing smile, before turning back to Percy's wife, Audrey.

"They want us to hang back and see if we can spot any sort of pattern." Ron said with pride in his voice. Turns out all the chess he played paid off in his career. He was able to spot patterns that no one else could see and predict moves earlier.

Their conversation continued, Hermione trying to concentrate on what her friends were saying. At long last dessert was served and the twins felt they needed to focus all their attention on their plates. Hermione was too bothered to do more than pick at her dessert. Ginny kept saying things that seemed random to her family, but were making Hermione blush.

"Mmmmm, Mione this dessert is sooo good you should _marry _it." Hermione rolled her eyes at the childish saying.

"I almost want _twice_ as much, don't you Hermione?" Ginny was grinning evilly at her friend, Harry gave his wife an odd look before talking about the coming Quidditch match with Ron, Fred, and George.

"It's like having _double _the pleasure when you eat it slowly Mione." Hermione aimed a kick at Ginny, but couldn't quite reach her under the big table.

At this point Mrs. Weasley had caught on to the mentions of extra dessert from her daughter. "Do you want an extra helping Ginny? Or I could send some home with you."

Ginny looked at her mom innocently. "Oh, no thank you mum. Hermione here might though. She likes having _twice _as much of _everything_."

Still completely oblivious to what was going on between the two women, she turned to her daughter-in-law. "Would you like to take some of this home with you dear?" She waved her hand around the table indicating anything from left-over dinner to dessert.

"Oh, she would love to take a couple of things from here to enjoy at home." Ginny said before Hermione could open her mouth. Glaring daggers at her friend, she answered Mrs. Weasley.

"Only if you have some to spare." Mrs. Weasley nodded and with a wave of her wand, containers started to fill with what was left of supper.

"Oh, she has plenty to spare. I'm sure you will make it home with at least two…_containers_." Fred and George exchanged glances, they had caught the banter between their sister and lover. With Ginny's last statement they had realized what was going on.

"Hermione," Ginny called her friends attention back to her. "You have something, a little cream, just at the corner of your mouth." Ginny handed her a napkin and Hermione turned scarlet.

"GINERVA WEASLEY!" Hermione shouted, drowning out everyone's conversations. Fred and George were trying not to laugh. Fred was pretty sure a rib or two had cracked, and George couldn't see from the pressure building up. All heads turned to look at the two women.

"What? Really you do. Tell her Harry." Ginny asked turning to her husband.

"You do Hermione. Here." He handed her the napkin Ginny had been holding. Now more embarrassed than ever, she tried to shrink down between the shaking forms of Fred and George. She had taken the comment as something laden with innuendo and it had been, mostly, innocent. She needed to take a scouring pad to her brain.

Both George and Fred had noticed the whipped topping left behind from dessert. They couldn't believe their little sister's audacity. She had seen an opening and took it. They were beyond proud of her and let her know with heartfelt smiles.

The rest of their stay passed without another incident, though Fred and George took every opportunity they could to touch her. Before they left, Hermione approached Harry and Ginny. "Hey Gin, are the Harpies still doing that overnight training camp Thursday?" She asked, ignoring Fred and George standing right behind her.

"Yeah, just for the one night, thank Merlin." Ginny confirmed.

Hermione turned to Harry. "Do you want to stay with me Harry?" It was their usual routine. Anytime one, or two, of them were out of town, the others would stay together. Hermione had lost count of the times her and Ginny had stayed together while their husband were off on a mission.

"Sure Mione! Thanks!" Harry beamed at her. The twins looked at each other, less than pleased with the situation, but she didn't notice. Instead she was hugging Harry.

"You know you are welcome over anytime Harry." They parted. Together they walked as a group to the apparition point outside the Burrow's wards. With Harry and Ginny walking in front of them, Fred and George moved to stand beside Hermione, grabbing her hands with their own, smiling when she didn't pull away. Harry and Ginny left first, when Hermione moved to join them, she was pulled to a stop.

"Yes?" She asked, wondering what they could want.

They leaned in close, one on either side. "Let us stay the night."

Instead of answering, she kissed George then Fred. Hands still entwined, they left together.

-0-0-0-

Thursday morning saw Hermione with the next two days off, and frantically cleaning her house. It didn't matter that Harry had seen her house in far worse states. She was nervous. She had to think about what she would tell him, after hours of reciting speeches to herself, she still didn't know what she would say. She was worried about what he would say when he found out she was dating Fred and George.

Ron was his best mate, and when he proposed Harry lost no time telling him what would happen if he messed up. Ron hadn't touched her for almost two weeks after that. Things were going well with the twins. They hadn't been on a date yet, but she knew they would soon, and was looking forward to it. Tomorrow was Halloween, and she was glad to have the day off. The shop would be hectic with people looking for the best tricks, so Fred and George had called in Lee along with Verity to help customers.

She had received an owl from Rose earlier in the week saying she would tell Hugo and told her _'You're a big girl mum. I'm sure you know what you're doing.'_ She could practically hear the sarcasm through the letter. Rose was too much like her father. Her immediate thought was to send a howler, but changed her mind just as quickly. Her kids got enough attention as it was, not all of it good. She would wait until the holidays to discuss her attitude.

She had just placed the order for Chinese take-out when her floo activated. She walked towards her living room, meeting Harry in the hallway. "Hey! You're just in time!" She told him and tried to take his overnight bag. He wouldn't let her and instead put it at the foot of the couch. He frowned slightly when he noticed it wasn't made up.

"I thought I was sleeping over?" He asked.

"You are! I was just- I just thought- Maybe-." She didn't really know how to ask him. They were best friends, family, he was her brother in all but blood! It shouldn't be that hard!

"What Mione?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to stay in my room. With me." Seeing his brows scrunch together, she hurried on. "It's okay if you don't want to! It was a silly idea. Here, I'll get the couch set up for you Harry, just forget I said anyth-" She was cut off from her rambling by Harry's hand over her mouth.

"If you would stop rambling and give me two seconds to talk I could answer you." He told her. She licked his hand in retaliation. He took his hand away and wiped it on his coat. "Eww! I thought you were supposed to be the mature one?"

"I don't ramble, I was pointing out options." He shook his head at her denial. "I needed you to move your hand. It seemed like the fastest way." She grinned at him.

"To answer your question, yes I will sleep in your room. I didn't have the heart to tell you before, but your couch is very uncomfortable."

-0-0-0-

One movie and three take out cartons later, Hermione and Harry were sitting on her bed, both clad in sleep wear. Hermione had made fun of his pajama bottoms with the snitches flying around on them. He pointed out she wasn't much better with her ducky pants and old quiddich jersey.

"We should do stuff like this more often." Hermione told him, hugging a pillow to her chest.

"Have sleepovers?"

"No. Maybe. You know what I mean Harry. We hardly see each other anymore. I haven't even really seen Ron lately." She frowned at the thought. Her love for Ron and Harry was the same, and it hurt to realize none of them had worked harder to try and maintain their friendship. Letting it slide between work and family, canceling plans at the last minute.

"You're right of course, you always are." He teased.

"Let's make a pact, next time we see Ron we will make him do it too. Once a month we hang out. Just the three of us." She held out her hand.

"What no spitting? How are we supposed to know we will keep it if we don't do a spit shake?" Harry asked her.

"Ugh. And you thought me licking your hand was gross. I thought you grew out of that?"

"Nuh-uh. It's the best way to make a pact, you know that Mione." He still hadn't put his hand out to shakes hers

"Fine, you win." She drew her hand back, and as delicately as she could, spit in the palm of her hand. Then held it out to Harry.

"You actually did it!" Harry exclaimed, eyes wide.

"You told me t- oh just do it! I still don't know why you and Ron always insisted on this."

Harry smiled and spit in his own palm, then took her hand. "There, now it's an official pact. Unless someone is on Death's door, we will meet once a month."

They pulled their hands apart. "_Scourgify." _Hermione used her wand to clean their hands. They sat in silence for some time, just enjoying the others company.

Hesitantly Harry asked her, "So how is it being Fred and George's girlfriend?"

"Ginny told you?" She asked, eyebrows raised. She wasn't mad, rather happy to have it taken out of her hands.

"I guessed and she confirmed. It wasn't that hard to see. They couldn't stay away from you at dinner."

"Do you think it's weird?" She looked at her hands waiting for his answer. Harry might not be muggle-born like her, but he was raised by muggles, and in that world, Triads were against the law and considered taboo by many. She had always thought it weird that having a threesome was often something to strive for, but dating, or marrying more than one person was only okay in a very few groups.

Harry didn't answer right away, and she didn't push. "I'm not sure how I feel about it to be honest. It's not you being part of a Triad that bothers me." She looked at him, his face scrunched in deep thought. "I think it's more the people you are with. Fred and George are great blokes, I just never would have pictured you as their girlfriend."

"I'm not their girlfriend." Hermione responded quickly. Harry arched an eyebrow waiting for her to explain. "I mean, we date, and hangout. Sometimes kiss. But we aren't _in _a relationship." Harry looked at her for a minute before laughing. "And just what is so funny Mr. Potter?" She asked, lightly hitting his arm.

"You. _I only spend 85% of my time with Fred and George. We kiss and aren't seeing anyone else, but we aren't in a relationship._ Do you listen to yourself Hermione?" He was still chuckling.

"More like 95% of my time." Hermione mumbled.

"What was that?" Harry asked, cupping his hand behind his ear. "I didn't catch that Hermione."

"I don't need your sass Harry. I know what type of relationship I'm in." She turned her nose up at him, trying not to smile.

"Ha! You said it! See? You might as well say you're their girlfriend." He was still laughing at her. Realizing he was right, she decided to take a different approach. She launched herself at him and started tickling his ribs. "Not fair Hermione!" He wheezed out. Laughing too hard to speak properly.

-0-0-0-

Hermione woke up curled into Harry's side. Deciding not to wake him yet, she got out of bed as slowly and quietly as possible. She pulled on her robe and walked out to the kitchen to put the kettle on and start the coffee pot. When she walked in, she was met with two familiar faces. "What are you two doing here?"

"Open connection, remember love?" George asked her, handing her a cup of coffee when she sat down. She grunted, remembering they did indeed have a permanent connection to her house.

"We were going to wake you." Fred said as he slid some toast across the table to her.

"But when we saw you two all cuddled up"

"We didn't have the heart to wake you"

"So we came here to wait instead." George smiled.

"Why are you waiting in my kitchen?" She asked, not up for their usual dancing around questions. She snorted into her coffee, imagining Fred and George in tutus, dancing around a question mark. They hadn't gotten to sleep until the early hours of the morning, and she was still a little out of it.

"What's so funny?" Fred asked her.

"You two, dancing around a question." She let out another giggle. George looked at her half full coffee cup and went to get her more.

"Here, you need this." He told her, pouring more coffee into her cup as Fred passed her the cream and sugar. "As to why we are here,"

"We wanted to ask you on a date for Sunday." Fred finished. They gave her what they considered winning smiles, but she was still looking at her coffee up.

"Would this be an actual date and not just an attempt at romance before shagging me senseless?" She really needed more sleep. Obviously her brain to mouth filter was broken.

Before either man could answer they heard a gagging sound from the doorway. All three turned to see Harry standing in the door, looking slightly green.

"Uh… good morning?"

**A/N**

**I don't know about the rest of you, but I, personally, still act like a 12-year-old around my best friend. (No I don't think 12-year-olds talk about their love life, I meant their attitudes.) In case you're wondering what happened to the crazy ex….. She's coming****. **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N**

**I'm so sorry this took so long. I've had writers block on this story for the last few days. Like homemade lotion and baking writers block… Sorry I took it down briefly! I was re-reading and fixed mistakes I found. 2/4/15**

It was cold. Almost too cold for ice cream. Almost. It was a weakness really. Harry had gotten her hooked after Fortescue's re-opened. The three of them had gone almost every day, and while for some that might have been more than enough ice cream, for Hermione it was the start of her addiction. Fred and George seemed just as obsessed as her. She was glad someone had opened the place back up after things settled down.

They had talked about work, and people they knew, but now they were eating in silence. Biting her lip, Hermione realized she would have to bring it up. "Have you two, uh, done this before?"

"Eaten ice cream?" Fred grinned.

"Come to Fortescue's?" George asked.

"No! I meant have you been in a relationship like this before?" She huffed. She knew they were trying to rile her up, but it still worked.

"Yes." They answered. She smiled at the abrupt answer. They _had_ answered her question.

"Care to expound upon that?"

"We have been in a relationship, similar-" George started.

"But nowhere near the same level-" Fred irrupted with a wink.

"As the one we want with you. Twice actually." George told her.

"Twice? I honestly expected more than that." Hermione was surprised, considering how well they worked together.

"Yes, the first one was someone I don't think you know, Jennifer?" Hermione shook her head, she didn't know the girl. Fred picked back up, "It was going really well for a couple of months, but then she wanted to choose." Hermione looked at them in shock. Choose? How could anyone even think about doing that? From Fred's pained expression, she gathered he wasn't the one Jennifer wanted.

"You understand then," George continued, watching the expression on her face. "It wasn't acceptable to let her just pick one of us. We couldn't do it. We tried to explain, but she didn't really understand." Hermione opened her mouth to ask a question, but George beat her to it. "Muggle-born. Not as well read as you though, or as accepting. She left."

Fred took up their story again. "For a while we dated around, separately mostly. Then, one night we met up with Alicia at the Leaky. She told us she had always like us both, equally even. We decided to try again. Things were going great for a little over a year. She had moved in, and we were even thinking about popping the question."

"So what happened?" Hermione asked.

George grimaced, "She started asking weird questions. She wanted to know how much we were making a month. How much we had in our vault, how much we thought we were worth, and she didn't mean on the inside. When we confronted her about wanting to be with us only for money, she stopped." He paused, his voice not much louder than a whisper, he told her. "That's when she tried to play us against each other."

"How did she do that?" Hermione had forgotten about her ice cream. She was feeling sick from what they were telling her.

"She would come to me, telling me she had seen George looking at other girls."

"Or she would tell us she only wanted to be with one of us for a night, only it would last a week. Don't get us wrong Mione. We don't expect you to want both of us _all_ the time." George told her.

"Just most of it." Fred said, trying to lighten the mood.

"We enjoy being with you one-on-one too."

"She kept trying to break us, make us jealous of one another. When that didn't work, she accused us of cheating. We couldn't do it anymore, so we broke it off." Fred shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal, but Hermione could see Alicia and hurt them. Merlin help her if Hermione ever caught her alone. Even if she wasn't falling for the twins, she would be upset with the bitch. Fred and George didn't deserve that.

"How long ago was that?" She wanted to know.

"About two months before we broke into your house." George smirked. She smiled back at him, that day had become one of her happiest memories. She picked up her spoon, interested in her ice cream again. "There is something we would like to do tonight." George continued. She glanced at them.

They exchanged a look and said, "We want to tell them."

"By them you mean…?" Hermione paled, she knew this was coming, she wasn't sure everyone would be as supportive as Harry and Ginny.

"Yes, Gin and Harry already know. It's only a matter of time before everyone else finds out." George meant their mum, but that went unspoken.

"Okay."

-0-0-0-

They arrived at the Burrow together. "You ready?" Fred asked her.

"As I'll ever be." She grabbed their hands and walked down to face the music. She let go just before they got in. "How do you want to do this?"

"We have a plan." They told her.

"Of course you do." She opened the door and walked in.

"Hermione! Boys! I'm glad you're here! Everyone is in the sitting room, you lot head in there while I finish up in here." Molly hugged them all before sending them on their way.

They mingled with everyone who had gathered. Percy and his wife couldn't make it and Charlie was still in Romania. Everyone else was there though. The twins went to talk to Bill, while Hermione caught up with Ron and Harry. Ginny excused herself, bravely going off to help her mother so the three of them could talk.

"Has Harry told you about our pact?" Hermione asked Ron.

"He just finished telling me. Once a month?" Hermione nodded. "I think that's doable." He grinned, looking more like Fred and George than he ever had. Harry had an answering grin on his face. Ron held out both hands and spit in them.

"Urgh, really boys? We're going to do this here?" Their smiles got wider, Harry and Hermione spit and shook hands with Ron, sealing their pact. Harry performed the cleaning spell this time. Hermione put her now clean hand on Ron's shoulder. "How are things with Luna?" She asked earnestly. She didn't see as much of the blonde as she would like. They had grown closer over their last years at school, but work kept them busy.

"Really good actually. The Quibbler is doing really well. She's on an expedition right now, looking for Wrackspurt colonies in Ireland. She thinks the Druids might have used so much mistletoe to keep muggles away. She told me they have some of the largest Wrackspurt colonies she's ever seen." His face lit up as he was talking about her, and Hermione was glad to see him so happy. He deserved it. _We both do_. She thought with a look at Fred and George. George saw her looking and grinned, she could feel a soft answering smile on her own face.

-0-0-0-

Dinner passed quieter this time. Fred and George still dished up her plate, and this time she let them without a fuss. She realized it was one of their ways of looking after her. Everyone was so busy, eating, talking, and laughing, no one but her seemed to notice Fred slip into the kitchen. When Molly brought the pudding out, Fred and George watched it closely. As Mrs. Weasley went to serve it, an obnoxiously bright green and orange bird burst out of the pudding, spraying everyone close to it. When it was hovering above the table it opened its beak and started to sing;

_Fred, Hermione, and George sitting in a tree_

_K-I-S-S-I-N-G_

_First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in a baby carriage! _

With its message done, the bird burst into flames. The ashes fell on the table and in the middle sat a bright orange egg with green swirls.

"Our new re-usable messenger birds!" Fred proclaimed proudly. No one spoke. Mrs. Weasley had a hand over her heart.

"Did you have to add in the baby carriage part?" She whispered to them.

"It's part of the song." George told her cheekily, then simultaneously they grabbed her hands. When they stood up, she was forced to stand with them. Ginny and Harry were grinning like fools, Ron looked stunned. Bill and Fleur gave them big smiles, and Mr. Weasley was watching his wife.

"As you can see, we are dating Hermione." Fred told them.

"Although we can safely say we haven't done any of our kissing in trees." George supplied.

"Yet." Fred finished. Then they both leaned in and kissed her over-warm cheeks. Once done, they pulled her back down between them and waited.

Mr. Weasley recovered first. "Well, I suppose a congratulations are in order. Hermione I'm so happ-"

Mrs. Weasley cut him off. "What is this?" She asked, sounding close to tears. Something they hadn't anticipated. "How could you play this kind of prank on me? And what of Ron? What's he supposed to think?" She gestured at Ron and drew in a deep breath.

Knowing if he didn't cut her off now, she would say something and hurt either Hermione or his brothers, Ron stood up. "I also have good news." He announced loudly, drawing all the attention to him. "I'm seeing Luna Lovegood and want to bring her to dinner next Sunday." He slowly sat back down. Everyone turned back to the clan matriarch.

"But, you. And you." She looked back and forth between Hermione and Ron.

"It's not going to work out mum. We've both moved on. We're happier now." Ron told her.

For once she was speechless. She was unsure if she was ecstatic at the possibility of gaining a new daughter, while keeping an old one. Or if she was upset that they refused to kiss and make up. Seeing their hopeful faces, she smiled. "I'm so happy for you! All of you! This is fantastic news!" She got up and bustled around the table, first hugging Ron, then hugging Hermione and the twins.

-0-0-0-

Laying in her bed that night, she asked her men, "You couldn't have just told her like a normal person? I thought you gave her a heart attack." She chuckled, remembering the show.

Fred rolled over on his side and draped a long arm over her naked waist. "Where's the fun in that?"

George turned to look at her as well, his arm resting just under her breasts. "Since when have we ever done anything you would consider normal?"

She pretended to think about it. "Good point." She smiled and pulled Fred's head to her own, kissing him softer than she had all night. While her mouth was occupied with Fred, George bent to her breast. His attention building her up for the second time that night. She moaned into Fred's mouth when she felt George bite down on her nipple, then use his tongue to drive away the pain.

Fred's long fingers were circling her belly button, causing the muscles there to dance. As his hand circled lower, her hips seemed to take on a life of their own. They lifted off the bed, searching for his touch. Fred pulled away from her mouth and latched on to her other breast, using his wandering hand to push her back down. The quick change shocked her and she gasped her pleasure. Then George captured her mouth with his own. His teasing kisses drove her wild, and she loved it.

The first time that night had been hurried, high on their success with their family. They had barely made it out of the fire place before clothes were being torn off. Hermione was thrilled they couldn't wait long enough to use their wands. This time was different. They went slow, worshipping each other, leaving no patch of skin un-caressed. She searched for the word, looking into their eyes, she thought she saw it there. It took her until she was almost asleep to put a name to it. Love. They had made love that night, and she snuggled into them, content with her revelation.

-0-0-0-

The tapping on her window woke her. She was glad Verity was taking the morning shift, since Fred and George were still tangled up with her in bed. Smiling, she kissed them both on the head, then grabbed her wand from the nightstand. She used it to open the window letting the delivery owl in. She took her paper, gave the owl a quick pat, and sent it on its way.

Happier than she could remember being, she unfolded her paper. Her mood soured the more she read. "That complete cow! Ooo that woman!"

Fred and George shot up in bed. "What's wrong 'Cess?" Fred asked her, voice still thick with sleep. In response, she laid out the paper so they could see. Once again they had made the front page. This time a picture of them through the window at the ice cream parlor. They had caught the moment when George had put ice cream on her nose then kissed it off. Fred was kissing the ice cream off her fingers, from when she tried to retaliate.

**Golden Triad?**

_This reporter can now confirm that Ms. Granger is indeed seeing both Mr. Weasley's. The trio was seen at Fortescue's looking rather friendly. While Triads are not forbidden in our world, they are unusual. The fact that Ms. Granger seems comfortable in a triad relationship as a muggle-born calls into question whether she has been part of one before. In the muggle community triads are against their laws, so how would the muggle-raised Gryffindor Princess know that it is accepted in the wizarding world?_

_Many speculate our Golden Trio was actually a Golden Triad with an incomplete bond. This would of course explain why the trio was so close to begin with, and possibly how Harry Potter was able to defeat Lord Voldemort._

"_It is known by those who research such things, that triads are able to perform phenomenal magic. If Mr. Potter was part of a triad, even an incomplete one, he would have been able to draw on the magic of his bondmates." Mr. Belby said in his interview._

"_They were always together," Ms. Parkinson tells us. "They were often caught sneaking out of bathrooms and were seen in unused classrooms all the time. We all suspected they were more than friends."_

_If the Golden Trio really is a Golden Triad, we have to wonder when they will seal their bond, even though it has been partially broken. This reporter wonders how the current Mrs. Potter will handle being tossed aside by her former best friend. This will also leave Mr. and Mr. Weasley heartbroken, and hopefully break the spell Ms. Granger has them under. We can all hope next time they will take care before giving their hearts so freely._

_Rita Skeeter_


End file.
